Grand 1894 Opera House - Galveston, TX - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

"The three-story structure known as the "old ice house" formerly occupied this site. Built in the 1850's, it was the first brick building on Postoffice Street. Meetings and receptions were held in Morian Hall on the third floor. A school for boys occupied the second floor until the outbreak of the Civil War. After the war, the building became the Varieties Theater. The structure was demolished in 1894.

The ice house site and adjacent lots were purchased by Henry Greenwall, a theatrical entrepreneur, and fifteen Galveston businessmen. They partially funded the construction of the Grand Opera House and Hotel. Frank Cox, an architect and scenic designer, designed the structure. Built of St. Louis brick with stone trim and terra cotta ornaments, the four-story structure of Romanesque revival style housed a theater, a hotel, and shops. One of the seven theaters on the Greenwall circuit, the Grand opened on January 3, 1895, with The Daughters of Eve starring Marie Wainwright. She was the daughter of the commander of the gunboat "Harriet Lane" that was seized by Confederate forces during the Battle of Galveston. Thomas Edison's Kinetoscope was used in 1896 for the first film shown in the Grand.

The 1900 Hurricane destroyed the east wall and the cupula over the entrance. The cupola was not replaced during the rebuilding in 1901. By 1903, one-reel motion pictures were shown on double billings with minstrels, vaudevilles, and touring companies.

In 1924, Attilo Martini acquired the Grand and named it Martini Theater. The entrance was relocated from Postoffice to 21st Street. A pipe organ was installed and the movies alternated with vaudeville for entertaining. In 1937, the theater became the State when a new Martini Theater was contructed. The entrance was returned to its original location on Postoffice Street in 1958. The movie house was closed in 1971.

Restoration of the Grand began in 1974 with its purchase by the Galveston County Cultural Arts Council. ALmost every feature is either part of the original or a facsimile. The entrance arch of carved stone was restored. The original Grand staircase on the orchestra level [was used] as the pattern for an extension to the Grand Tier lobby, formerly hotel rooms. Chandeliers and wall scones duplicate details of the original electrical and gas fixtures. Carpeting is a copy of a sample found in the balcony. The curtain is a re-design of the scene depicting the Greek poet Sappho. The orchestra pit was uncovered and enlarged and the stage and proscenium rebuilt. Six pairs of boxes replace the orignal four pairs. This twlve-year endeavor concluded with a gala re-opening on January 19, 1986.

Notables who have appeared at the Grand include John Philip Sousa, Madame Modjeska, Otis Skinner, Eddie Foy, William Jennings Bryan, Anna Pavlova, Ignace Jan Paderewski, Sarah Bernhardt, Lillian Russell, Maude Adams, the Marx Brothers, George Burns and Gracie Allen, Dorothy Kirsten, Helen Hayes, Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughn, Lionel Hampton, Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme, and Hal Holbrook.

The Grand is owned and operated by 1894, Inc., a non-profit Texas Corporation."
Reference: attached pictured sign

Group that erected the marker: Galveston County Historical Society URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: [Web Link] Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: 2020 Postoffice St Galveston, TX USA 77550

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Date Logged Log   05/28/2007 ggmorton visited it