The city of Bryan now owns the historic Queen Theatre, ensuring it will continue its legacy as an icon in the heart of Historic Downtown Bryan.
The Bryan City Council unanimously approved the conveyance of the building from the Downtown Bryan Association at the Council’s Dec. 8, 2020 meeting. Previously, the DBA unanimously approved the same agreement at their Nov. 5, 2020 meeting.
Terms of the conveyance include that the city will be responsible for the current mortgage balance and closing costs not to exceed $470,000 and assume the maintenance and upkeep of the building. Although the city of Bryan has no plans to sell the building, DBA would receive the first right of refusal to purchase it in the next five years.
“The Queen has a rich history as part of downtown Bryan, and the city’s ownership of the building will ensure it remains a vibrant part of downtown Bryan and our community,” says Mayor Andrew Nelson.
The office portions of the building will be occupied by Destination Bryan, the newly established destination marketing organization for the city of Bryan. The city will solidify future plans for the rest of the building in the coming year.
The Queen Theatre was originally built in 1885 as a hotel in the heart of downtown Bryan. The hotel began showing silent films on the ground level in the early 1900s. The name "Queen Theatre" was officially given to the building in 1914. 5th Avenue Girl starring Ginger Rogers was the first movie shown in the Queen after the hotel was converted into a fully operational movie theatre in 1939. The Queen operated as a movie theatre from 1939 to the mid 1970s.
For the next several decades, the Queen fell into disrepair and it wasn’t until the Downtown Bryan Association purchased the building in 2010 that its journey to revitalization began. The restoration of the Queen Theatre was a community effort and was spearheaded by members of the Downtown Bryan Association Board of Directors Ben Hardeman, Judge McDonald, and Stephanie Sale.
Local businesses donated their time, materials, and labor to help piece the historic building back together. Many fundraising efforts were made over the years, where community members donated their time and money to help bring the Queen back to life. The Downtown Bryan Association restored the iconic building and reopened her doors in May 2018 as a single screen film house and performance venue.
Since opening in May of 2018, The Queen has screened an average of five movies a week from blockbuster classics, westerns, musicals, to independent and foreign films. In addition to movies, the Queen has been host to the Bryan High Theatre Department’s Holiday Radio Play, Botanical Brouhaha Floral Workshop, The Queen Film’s Society meetings, and numerous private rentals.
“The Queen is the crown jewel of downtown Bryan and the entire community,” says Ben Hardeman, former city of Bryan councilman and current DBA board member. “We are extremely grateful for how the community rallied together during the restoration of The Queen and we look forward to The Queen continuing to be a key community asset under the city of Bryan.”
