Tiffany's Owners Want to Reopen But Lack Insurance

The director of marketing for Tiffany's Attic Theater Restaurant wants to reopen the theater, despite a determination Thursday that a fire which closed the theater was arson caused.

However, Eric Stilson, Sandy, vice president of Intermark, a Salt Lake City firm that handles the marketing and advertising for the theater, said the theater's two owners have not decided what to do.

"I expect I will know what they want to do by Saturday."

He said thee owners, Dick Carrothers and Dennis Hennessy of Kansas City, Mo., are trying to determine if they can obtain insurance coverage for the three-story brick theater building, located at 115 S. West Temple.

Ben F. Andrus. Salt Lake City fire marshall, said Thursday the second of two fires within a week at the theater restaurant, April 30, was caused by an incendiary device. That fire caused $4,500 damage.

No determination has been made of a fire at the theater April 24. It caused about $2,O00 damage.

Stilson said the theater owners spent $500,000 remodeling the theater, which opened in May last year, and have insured the building for more than $1 million.

"The terms of their lease require that they have sufficient insurance. Now that arson has been determined, it may be difficult to get insurance," Stilson said.

He said the owners planned to reopen the theater in June. "But now I'm not so sure. I am advising them to reopen, because Tiffany's was a big money-maker. The only way the owners can continue to make money with the theater, of course, is to reopen.

"I don't know who set the fire. I have my suspicions, however. If the owners decide to close, I'm sure we'll hold a press conference and let the public know how we feel."

Stilson said the fire marshal's report indicates the arson was "a professional job. The sprinkler system was shut off on purpose. Only a few would know how to do that."

He called the fire "an harassment fire - set to burn itself out in 15 minutes and set to create only a small fire. They weren't trying to burn the building down."

Chief Andrus, however, disagreed with that idea today. He said if his men had not arrived at the scene "in the nick of time and done as good a job as they did, the whole building would have gone up."

Andrus said his department and the Salt Lake City Police Department are jointly investigating the arson to determine just who set the fire."

Stilson said the theater's business has always been excellent. "We had 90 percent capacity continually and were booked solid two months ahead of time on some shows. "

He said the theater's 50 to 60 employees have all been paid and all the theater's bills are paid.

"Financially, we are in great shape. We are losing money, however, by being closed."

Owners of another dinner theater in Salt Lake City, the Gaslight Dinner Theatre, 826 S. Main, announced Saturday they were closing because of financial losses.

The sudden closing of the Gaslight Theatre started inquiries about how advance ticket holders and personnel would be paid.

Representatives of the Gaslight have asked all those who have advance tickets or who have not received payment for services to write to the theater and state whatever amount is owed.