 It opened on January 3, 1895 with a live performance of the play, "The Daughters of Eve".The Grand has stood through notable hurricanes, including the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, Galveston Hurricane of 1915, Hurricane Carla, and Hurricane Ike.The Grand began as a major, live performing arts theatre but after passing through a Vaudeville phase, it slowly evolved into a movie house.