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 beautiful old theater in Concordia, Kansas. It's a special place listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Many people say it was "the most elegant theater" between Kansas City and Denver. Today, it still hosts many popular events for the community.
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Building the Theatre
In November 1905, a man named Colonel Napoleon Bonaparte Brown shared his big idea. He wanted to build a fancy opera house for Concordia. He hired Carl Boller, a famous Kansas City theatre architect, to design it.
Colonel Brown's son, Earl Van Dom Brown, was in charge of building the theater. Earl visited over thirty opera houses in Kansas and Missouri to get ideas. W.T. Short, a local builder from Concordia, helped supervise the construction. Work on the theater began on April 3, 1906.
Opening Night
When it was finished, the Brown Grand Theatre was sixty feet tall and one hundred twenty feet long. It cost about $40,000 to build. The theater looked like a grand Renaissance building. It was a true treasure for the small town in the early 1900s.
The Brown Grand Theatre officially opened on September 17, 1907. The first show was a comedy called The Vanderbilt Cup. It was about a car racing trophy.
Carl "Punch" Rogers, who was there on opening night, remembered it well. He said, "The firemen at the doors were in full uniform. The ushers wore white gloves. That night, society felt very excited. It was all beautiful."
Early Years and Movies
The theater was very popular for the next four years. But then, in 1910, Colonel N.B. Brown passed away. Four months later, his son Earl also died. Some people say Earl's ghost still visits the theater, especially when a new season begins.
The theater was run by different people until 1925. Then, it was sold to the Concordia Amusement Company. From 1925 to 1974, the Brown Grand became a movie theater. It showed silent movies and later talking pictures. The theater was updated several times. It even got air conditioning and a snack bar.
The very last movie shown at the Brown Grand was The Devil and LeRoy Bassett. This movie was written and directed by Robert E. Pearson, who grew up in Concordia. After this, the community worked hard to restore the theater.
Bringing the Theatre Back to Life
The restoration work finished in 1980. The theater looked just like it did in 1907. It had 650 seats. Today, the Brown Grand Theatre is a popular place for tourists. It's also a performing arts and community center for Concordia and the area.
The restoration included new seats and fixing all the walls. The artistic designs were carefully repaired. The lighting system was updated, and air conditioning was added. Many other improvements were made. These changes make the theater very special today.
On September 17, 2007, the Brown Grand celebrated its 100th birthday. There were community events for several days. This celebration happened at the same time as the opening of the National Orphan Train Museum in Concordia.
The Special Drop Curtain
Original Curtain
On opening night in 1907, Earl Brown showed a wonderful drop curtain. It was a copy of a painting by Horace Vernet. The curtain was called Napoleon at Austerlitz. Earl gave it to his father, Colonel Brown. It was a gift to thank his father for building the theater.
The original curtain still hangs above the stage. But it wasn't used much when the theater showed movies. In 1967, a tornado damaged the roof over the stage. Rain from the tornado stained and streaked the old painting.
New Curtain
Marion Cook, who was on the Brown Grand Board of Directors, was very interested in the Napoleon curtain. He gave money for a new drop curtain. The new curtain was painted by Twin City Scenic Company in Minneapolis, Minnesota. This was the same company that painted the first one.
Robert Braun, a skilled scenic painter, was hired to paint the battle scene. 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 Vernet painting. It was the Battle of Wagram, which hangs in the Hall of Battles at the Palace of Versailles near Paris.
See also
