The front entrance to downtown Duluth's NorShor Theatre, home to the controversial NorShor Experience and its topless dancers, was chained shut for about an hour Tuesday night with patrons inside. Blocking a building exit could constitute an infringement of city fire code.
NorShor Experience Inc. president Jim Gradishar said he was surprised that he didn't have any new customers enter the building between 5:30 and 6:30 p.m. At the time, there were five or six patrons and four dancers.
"We couldn't figure out what was going on," he said. "We thought it was just too cold out or something."
An employee alerted Gradishar to the chained door when he arrived for work at about 6:30 p.m.
"He came in the back door and said 'What the heck is with that chain out front?' and I had no idea what he was talking about," Gradishar said.
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Gradishar reported the incident to the police and removed the chain. He believes the doors were chained by someone who opposes his establishment.
"I imagine it's someone with a little bit of an issue," he said.
Gradishar said he's been dealing with low-grade vandalism and pranks, such as broken windows and torn posters, since the NorShor opened its burlesque revue last summer. Chaining the doors shut surprised him, however, because doing so blocks an emergency escape route.
"I can't believe that because of their political views, someone would put people's lives in jeopardy," Gradishar said. "I'm totally perplexed. If they think (the NorShor Experience) is a wrong, well that's a wrong and it doesn't make a right."
Duluth Police Sgt. Jon Haataja confirmed that a NorShor employee called police around 6:30 p.m.
"It did occur," Haataja said. "We don't have any idea who locked the chain on there, but it did occur."
Bob Noldin, acting assistant chief for the Duluth fire department, said it would be up to Fire Marshal Eric Simonson to determine whether the incident would violate fire code. Simonson couldn't be reached Tuesday night, but Noldin said the chained doors are likely a violation.
"I know that if there are occupants in the building, you can't chain an exit door. People have to get out those doors," Noldin said. "If it was chained shut and something happened, he [Gradishar] could certainly be liable."
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In November, fire department officials ordered Gradishar to install a $70,000 sprinkler system to make the 1920s-era theater conform to city fire codes. Gradishar couldn't present dancers for several months until the system was installed.
Gradishar said he is installing a video surveillance system to counter the vandalism.
