Brown Grand Theatre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Brown Grand Theatre
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The Brown Grand Theatre, 2007
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 Location in Kansas
Location in the United States
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| Location | 310 W. 6th St. Concordia, Kansas |
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| Built | 1907 |
| Architect | Carl Boller and W.T. Short |
| NRHP reference No. | 73000747 |
| Added to NRHP | July 26, 1973 |
The Brown Grand Theatre is a historic building in Concordia, Kansas. It's a special place where people gather for shows and events. Many call it "the most elegant theater" between Kansas City and Denver. It is even listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Contents
Building the Theatre
In November 1905, a man named Colonel Napoleon Bonaparte Brown shared exciting news. He told the people of Concordia he planned to build a grand opera house. He hired a famous theater designer, Carl Boller, from Kansas City. Carl Boller drew up all the plans for the new building.
Colonel Brown's son, Earl Van Dom Brown, was in charge of the building project. Earl traveled to more than thirty opera houses in Kansas and Missouri. He wanted to gather the best ideas for their new theater. W.T. Short, a local builder from Concordia, was hired to supervise the construction. He had already worked on other buildings for the Brown family. Work on the theater began on April 3, 1906.
Opening Night Fun
When it was finished, the Brown Grand Theatre was very impressive. It stood sixty feet tall and was one hundred twenty feet long. The building cost $40,000, which was a lot of money back then! It looked like a beautiful Renaissance-style building. This grand theater became a treasure in the small town of Concordia.
The Brown Grand Theatre officially opened on September 17, 1907. The first show was a comedy called The Vanderbilt Cup. It was about car racing. People who were there said it was a very special night.
Carl "Punch" Rogers, who attended the opening, remembered: "The firemen at the doors wore full uniforms. The ushers wore white gloves. That night, society was very excited. It was all beautiful. Yes, it was."
Early Years and a Ghost Story
For the next four years, the theater did very well. But then, in 1910, Colonel N.B. Brown passed away. Four months later, his son Earl also died. People say that Earl's ghost still haunts the theater. Some believe he appears especially when a new season of shows begins.
After Earl's death, different people managed the theater. In 1925, it was sold to the Concordia Amusement Company.
The Movie Years
From 1925 to 1974, the Brown Grand Theatre changed. It started showing silent movies and later talking pictures. The theater was updated several times. They added air conditioning and a place to buy snacks. These changes helped the theater keep up with the times.
The very last movie shown at the Brown Grand was The Devil and LeRoy Bassett. This movie had its world premiere there. It was written and directed by Robert E. Pearson, who grew up in Concordia. After this, the community worked hard to bring the theater back to its original look.
Bringing the Theatre Back to Life
The restoration work was finished in 1980. The theater was made to look just like it did in 1907. It now has 650 seats. Today, the Brown Grand Theatre is a popular place for tourists. It's also a center for performing arts and community events in Concordia.
The restoration included many improvements. They replaced the seats and fixed all the walls and artwork. The lighting system was updated, and new air conditioning was added. These changes make the theater very special and unique today.
On September 17, 2007, the Brown Grand celebrated its 100th birthday! There were many community events over several days. This celebration happened at the same time as the opening of the National Orphan Train Museum in Concordia.
The Special Drop Curtain
The First Curtain
On opening night in 1907, Earl Brown showed off a beautiful drop curtain. This curtain was a copy of a painting by Horace Vernet. It was called Napoleon at Austerlitz. Earl gave the curtain as a gift to his father, Colonel Brown. It was a way to honor his father's hard work for the community and the theater.
The original curtain still hangs above the stage. But it wasn't used much during the years the theater showed movies. In 1967, a tornado damaged the roof above the stage. Rain poured in and stained the curtain. The painting became faded and streaked.
A New Curtain
Marion Cook, who was on the Brown Grand Board of Directors, was very interested in the Napoleon curtain. He donated money for a new replacement curtain. The new curtain was painted by the Twin City Scenic Company of Minneapolis, Minnesota. This was the same company that painted the first curtain!
Two talented artists worked on the new curtain. Robert Braun painted the battle scene of Napoleon. Michael Russell, the company president, came out of retirement to paint the green drapes and gold frame around the picture.
The artists asked for a color photo of the original painting. The real painting, Battle of Wagram, hangs in the Hall of Battles at the Palace of Versailles near Paris.
See also
