THE GRAND

The Grand is a single-story Art Deco theater at 165 Main Street in Ellsworth, Maine, listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2012. The auditorium seats 480 (reduced from an original capacity of 730 to accommodate a stage). The building includes five storefront spaces and a rear two-story auditorium, with a prominent marquee and a stepped steel-and-glass tower.

The Grand presents live theater, concerts, Met Opera HD broadcasts, movies, comedy, and community events. Programming serves as a regional entertainment hub for the Ellsworth area and Downeast Maine. The venue also offers summer drama camps and after-school arts programs for youth.

The Grand was built in 1938 as part of the recovery effort after an arsonist destroyed much of the Ellsworth business district in 1933. It was designed by Boston architects Krokyn & Brown and served as a movie theater from 1938 to 1962. The theater closed and was purchased by a nonprofit in 1975, then reopened as a performance hall for theater, concerts, and other live events.