TWO HARBORS, Minn. — The embattled owner of a historic North Shore lodge that burned to the ground is now in danger of losing a second Lake Superior property for allegedly missing payments.
An emergency order issued July 25 in Lake County District Court removed Bryce Campbell from the operations of Superior Shores Resort outside Two Harbors after the former owners say he defaulted on payments for the property, which Campbell purchased for $15 million on a contract for deed.
The order, issued by Judge Steven Hanke, prevents Campbell and his North Shore Resort Company from running Superior Shores for at least 60 days while the matter is settled. Judge Hanke cited three missed payments to the seller totaling nearly $13 million, failure to pay property taxes and other expenses, and not keeping the properties “in good repair, working order and condition.”
The court appointed Bruce Kinseth and Kinseth Hospitality Companies of Coralville, Iowa as "temporary limited receiver" for Superior Shores, in charge of operating the sprawling lakefront resort.
Campbell's attorneys argue that his company invested significant funds into repairing and updating Superior Shores, that the plaintiff prematurely served him with termination notices, and that the appointment of a temporary receiver severely disrupts Campbell's operation of the business "during the height of its busiest season of the year."
A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday, July 31 to debate the merits of the emergency order.
Campbell is the owner of Lutsen Lodge, a historic getaway in Grand Marais that was reduced to rubble in an overnight fire Feb. 6. The Minnesota State Fire Marshal's Office released a report from a July 6, 2023 inspection detailing seven total violations, including issues with the sprinkler system, fire alarm system, fire exit signs and smoke alarms.
Four of the seven violations had been repaired by the owners, according to state fire officials, but three were still documented as outstanding when the report was pulled in the hours after the fire.
The State Fire Marshal's Office is still investigating the cause of the Lutsen Lodge fire.