The era of talking pictures had arrived. Movies were to take over live theater performances for the next 58 years. The Grand Opera House became simply known as the Grand and was now a movie theater. The gas lights were taken out and electric lights installed. In 1890 there was no gas furnace nor air conditioning.
Today there is both.
The Grand Opera House was the largest theater ever built in Dubuque, Iowa. The proscenium measures 35 feet wide and 25 feet high. It is 42 feet from the back wall to the end of the stage. Originally there were 1,100 seats. Today there are 644.