The Grandel

The Grandel is a multi-use performing arts venue located in the former First Congregational Church building (1884) that is now part of the Grand Center Arts District in mid-town St. Louis. This historic building was converted into a live theater in 1992, serving as the home stage for The Black Rep theater company and also the St. Louis Shakespeare theater company. The Kranzberg Arts Foundation fully renovated the building, prior to its reopening in 2017. The Grandel features a 600-seat state-of-the-art theater; a Grand Hall which can be rented for private events; and a non-profit community engagement initiative known as The Dark Room, which includes a restaurant, photography gallery, and performance space for live jazz music.

The Grandel Theatre is a performing arts venue located in the historic First Congregational Church (1884), built in what is now the Grand Center Arts District in mid-town St. Louis. It was designed by the Boston-based architect, Louis Frederick Rice, in the Romanesque Revival style, which was popular in the late nineteenth century. The church was constructed from rough-cut Bedford stone. It features a tall rectilinear turret with rounded-arch windows.

After the building was converted into a theater in 1992, it became the home stage for the St. Louis Shakespeare company and the St. Louis Black Repertory theater company, also known as The Black Rep. When the Kranzberg Arts Foundation renovated the building in 2017, it also became a venue for musical concerts, dance performances, and comedy shows, as well as plays. Many of these shows are productions of the resident cultural organizations which receive support from the Kranzberg Arts Foundation. The Grandel is also visited by national and international touring artists, in addition to hosting independent producers from St. Louis and around the globe.

Adjacent to the 600-seat theater, the spacious Grand Hall can be rented for private events holding up to 200 visitors. The Grand Hall features hardwood floors and vaulted ceilings. This interior space remains reminiscent of the original nave of the First Congregational Church. On the exterior of the building, the initial date of construction is still visible, etched into the cornerstone that was placed in 1884. Connected to the Grand Hall, the Dark Room at the Grandel is a non-profit community engagement initiative that features live jazz music and a restaurant. Operated by the Kranzberg Arts Foundation, this space is also used as a gallery space for photography exhibits.

In 2022, the Grandel hosted the African-American opera singer, Adrienne Danrich, who grew up in St. Louis's Central West End neighborhood. Danrich is an acclaimed soprano who has performed at world-class venues such as Carnegie Hall in New York City. Her current concert program, "Music is the Message: 'Sing on, sing on!'" is unique in that it welcomes audience participation. Concert-goers at the Grandel are invited to join her in singing select pieces, including Broadway show-tunes, pop songs, and soul music. While performing the wide repertoire of songs in her program, Danrich encourages audiences to sing along, thereby inviting them to take an active role in the concert.

The Grandel, Kranzberg Arts Foundation. Accessed January 22nd, 2023. https://www.kranzbergartsfoundation.org/the-grandel/.

The Grandel Theatre and Dark Room, Spaces STL. Accessed January 22nd, 2023. https://spacestl.com/project/the-grandel-theatre-and-the-dark-room-old/.

Arnold, Willis Ryder. Grandel Theater in Grand Center gets new life, St. Louis Public Radio. December 1st, 2016. Accessed January 22nd, 2023. https://news.stlpublicradio.org/arts/2016-12-01/grandel-theater-in-grand-center-gets-new-life.

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Schrappen, Colleen. Repurposed St. Louis churches, synagogues find new ways to feed the soul, St. Louis Today. January 16th, 2023. Accessed January 22nd, 2023. https://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/arts-and-theatre/repurposed-st-louis-churches-synagogues-find-new-ways-to-feed-the-soul/article_bfd59468-616f-513d-90b6-f06b600be122.html.

Goodwin, Jeremy D. . Adrienne Danrich will bring operatic flair to celebration of Black music at the Grandel, St. Louis Public Radio. June 6th, 2022. Accessed January 22nd, 2023. https://news.stlpublicradio.org/arts/2022-06-06/adrienne-danrich-will-bring-operatic-flair-to-celebration-of-black-music-at-the-grandel.