Grand 1894 Opera House
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The Grand 1894 Opera House
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| Location | 2012--2020 Ave. E, Galveston, Texas |
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| Coordinates | 29°18′19″N 94°47′27″W / 29.30528°N 94.79083°WCoordinates: 29°18′19″N 94°47′27″W / 29.30528°N 94.79083°W |
| Built | 1895 |
| Architect | Cox, Frank |
| Architectural style | Romanesque |
| NRHP Reference # | 74002071 |
| RTHL # | 7478 |
| Designated RTHL | 1990 |
The Grand 1894 Opera House in Galveston, Texas is currently operated as a not-for-profit performing arts theatre. The Romanesque Revival style Opera House is located at 2020 Post Office Street in Galveston's Historic Downtown Cultural Arts District. It was named "The Official Opera House of Texas" in 1993 by the 73rd Texas Legislature. It has a seating capacity of 1,040.
In 1894, Henry Greenwall raised $100,000 for construction of The Grand Opera House and Hotel in Galveston. It opened on January 3, 1895 with a live performance of the play, The Daughters of Eve. The Grand has stood through notable hurricanes, including the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, Galveston Hurricane of 1915, Hurricane Carla, and Hurricane Ike. The Grand began as a major, live performing arts theatre but after passing through a Vaudeville phase, it slowly evolved into a movie house. The movie house closed in 1974 and was purchased the same year by the Galveston County Cultural Arts Council. They transformed the movie house back into a theatre and then renovated and restored it to its former beauty. The restoration included volunteer efforts and support from private foundations. The theatre was listed in the National Register of Historic Places as "1894 Grand Opera House" in 1974. The Galveston County Cultural Arts Council owned the Opera House until 1986, when it became a stand alone organization known as 1894, Inc. Maureen M. Patton is The Grand's Executive Director, having served as Director under the Arts Council beginning in 1981. Hurricane Ike hit Galveston Island on September 13, 2008, but The Grand was reopened on January 3, 2009 on its 114th anniversary. All of the damage that the hurricane and the flood had caused was repaired with only 92 days of construction.
The Grand also has been the presenter of several premieres: Red White & Tuna and Tuna Does Vegas, two of four comedic plays written and performed by Greater Tuna creators, Jaston Williams and Joe Sears; and ANN, a one-woman play about the life of Texas Governor Ann Richards, written and performed by Holland Taylor.
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