Brown Grand Theatre

A 1907 opera house in Concordia, Kansas, built by Colonel Napoleon Bonaparte Brown and opened with his son's gift of a Napoleon at Austerlitz drop curtain. Converted to a movie house in 1925 and closed after the last screening in 1974, it was restored by community effort to its original splendor by 1980 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 1973. Theater lore attributes hauntings to the ghost of Earl Brown, who died months after his father in 1910.

The Brown Grand Theatre stands at 310 West 6th Street in Concordia, Kansas, a town of roughly five thousand people in the north-central part of the state. Its story begins in November 1905, when Colonel Napoleon Bonaparte Brown, a local banker and cattleman, announced to the townspeople his intention to build a fully outfitted opera house for Concordia. Brown hired Carl Boller of the Kansas City firm Boller Brothers, among the most prolific theatre architects in the American Midwest, to prepare the design drawings and blueprints. Construction was directed by Brown's son, Earl Van Dom Brown, who researched the project by touring more than thirty opera houses across Kansas and Missouri before work began. W.T. Short, a native of Concordia already known for his work on the Brown family home and other area buildings, served as construction supervisor. Ground was broken on April 3, 1906. At completion the building stood sixty feet high and spanned one hundred twenty feet in length. Renaissance in style, the structure cost around forty thousand dollars, an enormous sum for a small prairie town at the start of the twentieth century. The formal opening took place on September 17, 1907, with a production of The Vanderbilt Cup, a comedy set against the backdrop of the automobile race of the same name. A witness later recalled that firemen stood at the doors in full uniform and ushers wore white gloves, and that society, as he put it, sort of quivered that night. That opening night also saw Earl Brown unveil his personal gift to his father: a magnificent drop curtain reproducing a painting by Horace Vernet, titled Napoleon at Austerlitz after the emperor's 1805 victory. The curtain hung above the stage as a tribute from son to father, in recognition of the Colonel's contribution to the community through what he considered his crowning achievement. The theatre prospered for only a short period under the family's watch. Colonel Brown died in 1910, and his popular son Earl followed him just four months later. According to theater lore, it is Earl's ghost that haunts the building, particularly during the fall season around the anniversary of the 1907 opening. The house operated under various managers until 1925, when it was sold to the Concordia Amusement Company and converted to show motion pictures, first silent films and then talkies. Over nearly five decades as a movie house it was remodeled repeatedly, gaining air conditioning, a concession stand, and other updates that chipped away at its original elegance. A 1967 tornado damaged the roof over the stage, and the rain that came with it permanently stained the already faded Napoleon curtain, which had seen little use during the picture years. The last film screened was the world premiere of The Devil and LeRoy Bassett, written and directed by Concordia native Robert E. Pearson, in 1974. After the doors closed, a grassroots community effort raised funds for an extensive restoration that returned the theatre to its original 1907 splendor by 1980, with some 650 seats. On September 17, 2007, exactly one century after opening night, the Brown Grand celebrated its centennial with several days of community events.

The Brown Grand Theatre sits at 310 West 6th Street, Concordia, Kansas 66901, on the corner of Sixth and Washington streets in the town's small downtown grid. There is no paid admission to enter for most events; the theatre operates as a nonprofit community venue funded by donations, memberships and event tickets, so check the schedule at browngrand.org or call ahead for tour availability, since the building is not open for walk-in visits outside scheduled events and volunteer-staffed hours. Guided tours can usually be arranged by appointment through the theatre's board, and local volunteers will often point out the drop curtain reproduction of Napoleon at Austerlitz hanging over the stage, the restored ladies' parlor, and the box seats favored by the Brown family themselves. Photography inside is generally permitted during public events, though flash may be restricted during performances. Concordia lies about two hours west of Topeka along US-81, and roughly an hour north of Salina. Parking is free street parking within a block of the entrance. The building has a stepped entry and historic restrooms, so wheelchair users should call ahead to confirm accessible arrangements rather than assume step-free access throughout. Evening events in winter can be very cold; dress accordingly. Combine a visit with the National Orphan Train Complex a few blocks away, which opened the same year the theatre turned one hundred.