Comments from ThomJP

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ThomJP
ThomJP commented about Garrick Theatre on Apr 3, 2011 at 12:31 pm

The Liebenberg and Kaplan Papers collection at the University of Minnesota has photos and plans of the Garrick. I have just purchased copies of some of these photos for a project I am working on. As a child growing up in Duluth I attended movies at this theatre and remembered when it was torn down.

ThomJP
ThomJP commented about Nor Shor Theatre on Apr 3, 2011 at 12:26 pm

The Orpheum Theatre was built in 1910 on the site of the Temple Opera House which was part of the Temple Opera House Building that contained in its 6 stories the Masonic Temple among other offices, etc. At sometime prior to 1929 the entrance on Second Avenue East and the Magquee were changed around the corner to Superior Street.
In 1940 the Orpheum was gutted, the auditorium reversed and totally redesigned in the Art Deco style and renamed the Norshor. The new entrance and lobby is adjacent to where the second Orpheum entrance was. The three top stories of the Temple Opera Building were removed to clear of view of the Norshor Lighted Tower of the new theatre.
In the Detroit Publishing company photo site there is a photo showing the Opera House partially demolished prior to the construction of the Orpheum.
I grew up in Duluth and attended the Norshor many times but knew nothing of the Orpheum even though the corner business in the Temple Building housed the Orpheum Drug Store. The Norshor has been purchased by the city of Duluth and the Duluth Playhouse will operate it at some time in the future. I recently returned (after 40 years to Duluth and had a tour of the now closed Norshor. It is in pretty bad shape. I understand that they have discovered behind the existing ceiling the original gilt Orpheum ceiling and portions of the second balcony.

ThomJP
ThomJP commented about Orpheum Theater on Apr 3, 2011 at 12:08 pm

The Kingston Daily Freeman in an article dated April 14, 1969 about the recently demolished (March, 1969) Orpheum Theatre says it existed as early as 1914. There is also a photograph from 1927 (not very clear) that shows enough to know that this is not the same building occupied by the Arts Society of Kingston and sometimes referred to as the Orpheum as it is much larger. In addition there is a March 1969 article in the same newspaper showing the Mayor in a hard hat standing in the demolished ruins of the original Orpheum