The Downtown Bryan Association has announced the activities related to Friday’s grand opening of the restored Queen Theatre.
The DBA’s Sandy Farris says festivities begin with a ribbon cutting Friday afternoon at four.
That’s followed by a performance of the Texas A and M Aggieland Orchestra, which honors the Queen’s grand opening in 1939 as a movie theater when the A&M College Orchestra performed on Main Street.
Tours will run every half hour from 5 through 10 p.m.
The grand opening marks an eight year restoration effort after the association purchased the building, which dates back to a hotel in the late 1800’s.
Click below for comments from Sandy Farris, visiting with WTAW’s Bill Oliver.
From the Downtown Bryan Association:
A grand opening event for the historic Queen Theatre in Downtown Bryan is scheduled for Friday, May 4.
A Chamber of Commerce Ribbon Cutting at 4 p.m. kicks off the festivities, marking the return of movies to 110 S. Main Street.
Tours of the renovated Art Deco theatre will begin shortly after the ribbon cutting. The tour will include a short documentary which highlights the Queen’s history.
Silent films were shown on the ground floor of the hotel which first occupied the space beginning in the late 1800’s. The last renovation occurred in 1939 when a grand re-design of the Queen was commissioned by Mrs. Edna Schulman, the owner at the time.
Texas A&M’s Aggieland Orchestra will perform in front of the theatre beginning at 4:30 p.m., a nod to the grand opening event in 1939 when the “A and M College Orchestra” performed on Main Street.
Free popcorn for attendees will be sponsored by Remax Realtor Edward Allison and Boots Beverages will provide free drinks for the first 75 patrons.
A special Queen Theatre photo backdrop, red carpet and movie premiere spotlights will add to the Hollywood-style glamour for the evening.
Queen Theatre T-shirts will be on sale throughout the evening, with proceeds benefiting the restoration of the historic building.
“This has been a highly-anticipated milestone for the Downtown Bryan Association, as well as the entire community,” said Sandy Farris, the organization’s executive director. “Bringing this building back to life means so much to those who have fond memories of downtown, so that makes this a very satisfying project.”
The DBA purchased the Queen in 2010. The property had changed hands several times after being closed in the late 1970’s, and required a great deal of cleanup and restoration, much of which was funded by donations from the community.
The Arts Council of the Brazos Valley will host its Red Wasp Film Festival at the Queen on Sunday, May 6. Thursday, May 11 will be the first official movie night at the Queen, featuring Ginger Rogers in 5th Avenue Girl, the same movie shown at the 1939 grand opening.