Check out the video below to see how you can win a handcrafted swing made from wood salvaged from the Queen Theatre.
The Queen
Stop by the Queen Theatre this Friday, June 1, for popcorn and a Coke, and purchase tickets for a drawing for a porch swing made entirely out of salvaged wood from the Queen Theatre! The swing is 100% Queen wood and was hand crafted by local retired fireman and TEEX instructor, Andy Ramirez and his brother Bobby Ramierz. Tickets will be on sale for the next few months and the drawing will take place August 31st. Queen t-shirts will also be available!
If you would like to purchase a ticket for the drawing but are unable to come by Friday, please call or email us at 979-822-4920 or executivedirector@downtownbryan.com.
Thanks to all of our supporters, we have had a successful start to Saving the Queen! We have restored the façade, the lighting, and we have re-crowned the Queen. We will soon have the roof replacement complete and will be ready to begin the interior remodeling!
We are also kicking off our next phase of fundraising and need volunteers to help with various activities throughout the year. Activities such as planning events, contacting and working with event-specific vendors, participating in events, researching available government grants, and spreading the word about this iconic architectural treasure in Downtown Bryan.
If you are interested in volunteering or would like to make a tax-deductible donation to the Queen Theatre restoration project, please contact the Downtown Bryan Association at 979-822-4920 or email Save the Queen Committee Chairperson, Ben Hardeman, at chairman@downtownbryan.com.
After three days of fitting, situating and finally, hoisting, the crown is again atop the Queen Theatre in Downtown Bryan! A modest crowd gathered at around 8:30 Wednesday morning to watch as the preparations were made. Now, with neon in place and the crown back up, work will continue on the marquee. The DBA plans to celebrate the restoration of the Queen’s facade – a huge milestone in the restoration project – with a lighting ceremony at First Friday, October 7th during the Texas Reds festival. The public is invited to come and watch as – for at least the second time in the theatre’s history – the exterior lights are turned on. Remember – Texas Reds is FREE on FRIDAY. Shuttles will run from Blinn for your convenience. We hope to see you there!
For more on the story, check out the video on KBTX.com
Update! The Queen’s crown is just about ready to regain its rightful position. As of now, it looks as thought the crown will go back up sometime Tuesday, however it will not be the social event that the removal was. Reinstallation of the crown will require fitting and positioning and may prove to be a somewhat lengthy process. To celebrate, plan on attending Texas Reds First Friday on October 7th. Friday there is no admission fee to the festival and we will turn the lights on at dusk! We hope to see you there to celebrate with us!
Scaffolding has been removed and fresh plaster and paint have been applied to the face of the Queen. Marquee installation will begin shortly, as well as new glass for the doors and ticket booth. If you haven’t taken a look at the new Queen, head to Downtown and see for yourself!
With abatement and demolition work wrapped up on the interior of the Queen, work has begun on the stucco
exterior! Those who drive down Main Street in the next week or so will see scaffolding covering the front of the structure while new plaster is applied.
Those anxious to see the restored facade of the Queen Theatre should plan to be Downtown on October 7th for First Friday/Texas Reds, when the lights on the facade are scheduled to be turned on and the newly restored face of the Queen revealed!
For questions about the Queen Theatre project, or to make a donation, please contact the Downtown Bryan Association at 979-822-4920 or email Save the Queen Committee Chairperson, Ben Hardeman, at chairman@downtownbryan.com.
As abatement and demolition work wraps up on the Queen Theatre in Downtown Bryan, a few news stories have run related to items found in the aging buildings rubble. Read the details of Robin Tolson’s missing wallet, returned by a crew member working on the Queen. A second individual, Mr. William Robert Bogan, Jr., is also soon to be reunited with items that went missing decades ago.
The Queen Theatre restoration continues to be a project that brings community members together. For more information on the Queen Theatre restoration project or to make a donation, please contact the Downtown Bryan Association at 979-822-4920.
Asbestos abatement and interior demolition has begun inside the historic Queen Theatre in Downtown Bryan. Building Abatement Demolition (BAD) Company, from LIberty Hill, started work on Monday. Terracon Consultants, Inc., out of Austin, are overseeing the abatement portion of the project which is expected to continue through Friday. Building Abatement Demolition (BAD) Company is scheduled to complete demolition the second week of August.
Abatement and demolition of the Queen Theatre are the vital first steps in the process of restoring this historic Bryan landmark. Upon completion, the facade will reflect the colors and design of the theater at its 1939 grand opening as the “Queen”. This phase of restoration also includes the repair and reinstallation of the marquee and crown, including neon lighting. The Downtown Bryan Association plans to debut the fully restored facade at the City of Bryan’s Texas Reds Festival, October 7th and 8th.
Abatement and demolition of the Queen Theatre are the vital first steps in the process of restoring this historic Bryan landmark. Upon completion, the facade will reflect the colors and design of the theater at its 1939 grand opening as the “Queen”. This phase of restoration also includes the repair and reinstallation of the marquee and crown, including neon lighting. The Downtown Bryan Association plans to debut the fully restored facade at the City of Bryan’s Texas Reds Festival, October 7th and 8th.
For more information on the Queen Theatre restoration project and to find out how you can help, please contact Cassidy Barton at 979-822-4920 or via email at executivedirector@downtownbryan.com.
The stand that it is on was built so that the crown could be transported to the various people who need to work on it during the restoration. It will first go to a sheet metal shop to have the bottom-most skirting replaced. You can see some of the rust that needs to be taken care of. It appears that the bottom piece is the only piece needing to be replaced. All other pieces of sheet metal show no deterioration on the outside nor the inside.
Inside the skirt is a 3/8″ x 2″ steel band riveted to the bottom of the skirting. On top of the Queen building is a corresponding steel band around which the crown slips as it turns. Both bands are unprotected raw steel so are badly rusted. Brazos Industries, Inc. has volunteered to make us two new concentric bands of steel and Texas Custom Coaters in Navasota, TX will powder-coat the new bands to protect them from rusting in the future.
The second shop that the crown will go to will be the paint shop. The local MAACO shop has volunteered to re-do the paint job as a contribution to the project. You can’t see it from this distance very well but the paint job is very crude and lines are not uniform. At the elevation it was displayed on the theatre, it did not matter but, up close, you can see very irregular brush strokes where it was hand painted.
