Burglar strikes Minneapolis' historic 19 Bar amid reconstruction, owner says
MINNEAPOLIS — The 19 Bar, the oldest LGBTQ+ bar in Minnesota, was targeted by a burglar overnight Tuesday amid the push to rebuild it following a devastating fire.
Owner Gary Lee Hallberg tells WCCO the thief took some tools, a backpack and batteries with chargers from the historic Loring Park bar.
He says the security system has not been reinstalled since the bar was destroyed on March 23.
The setback comes just days after Hallberg announced the bar wouldn't reopen as planned on New Year's Eve due to delays in construction and inspections.
In August, Hallberg filed a $2.8 million lawsuit against a recycling company whose garbage truck struck the electrical pole next to the bar, which fell on the building and ignited the fire. Hallberg says the fire occurred just weeks before he was set to close a deal on selling the bar, which was subsequently canceled.
While the recycling company admits fault for the accident, it refutes Hallberg's claims that the bar was a total loss.
The 19 Bar is one of the oldest operating LGBTQ+ bars in the country, first opening its doors to customers in 1952.
Hallberg says he hopes to reopen by early February.
