1But just ask a question about the Grainfield Opera House, and it's as if a whole new world has just opened up. He's that enthusiastic about Grainfield's crown jewel.

That's to be expected, however, as he and a host of other Grainfield residents have put countless hours into the task of restoring the building. Queen also is serving as president of Grainfield Opera House Inc., the group formed to renovate the building. The building was donated to the corporation in 1995 by the Grainfield Lions Club, on the condition it preserves the building. Queen, incidentally, also is a member of that Lions Club.

"The board is to help with getting grants," he said.

And help restore the building, of course.

"We need to promote this building more," Queen said of efforts to restore the building, which also carries with it time and money requirements.

Just recently, the Grainfield Opera House was recognized for its metal facade -- ornamental metal works that were manufactured by the Mesker Brothers, a company that operated in St. Louis in 1887 when the opera house was built.

A designer with the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency noted the Grainfield facade is similar to that of a building in Ouray, Colo., one that was built a year after Grainfield's building.

"To my knowledge, these are the only two facades to share this design in the country," the Illinois project designer wrote to members of the opera house.

That distinction has delighted the Grainfield board members.

But as Queen is quick to point out, there's still plenty to do.

He has his heart set on getting a second fire escape built, which would allow the building's second floor to be used for community functions.

"We can't do anything with this building until we get a second fire escape," he said.

The opera house only has a single fire escape, that one on the south side of the building. While it looks rather out of date, it has been improved; the treads having replaced several times while the stringers remain. Because it remains in place, it is grandfathered in under new and often more cumbersome regulations.

The stairway out back, however, has long since been torn down, with only the landing outside the building remaining.

"I can remember back in the '50s, it was scary to try to get out," Queen said of the rear escape. "The original stairs was one long flight of stairs."

But with the advent of the national disabilities act, stairs can only descend 10 feet before a landing must be located.

"We're looking at right at 19 feet of a drop," Queen said, "so we can't go back with the original."

The building's closeness to the alley is another impediment.

"That's a 125-foot lot, and the building is 100 feet," he said.

That means they can't go straight out.

"I'm trying to design one," Queen said of a stairway that could go down and turn 90 degrees to go the rest of the way.

For Queen, that stairway is important.

Work continues on the second floor of the building. But in many respects, it's all for naught if the second stairway isn't there.

He's also priced the cost.

"They said it would cost between $16,000 and $20,000," he said of one contractor. "We don't have that kind of money."

Already, the main floor of the building has been restored and is used for a number of occasions, including the local prom.

That restoration has been a work in progress, ever since the group received its first grant from the Kansas Historical Society in 1996 to repair the roof. A second grant went into the windows.

So far, all of the work has been done through donations, grants and free labor.

"We don't want to go into debt," Queen noted.

The building itself is cavernous.

Downstairs, 14-foot high ceilings rise up. On the second floor, they are 16 feet high.

"And it's got a basement," Queen said.

Indeed it does.

One side has a cement floor and is accessible from the outside. The south side has dirt floors.

The two sides are separated by a 3-foot-thick limestone wall, stones that came from the Bunker Hill area.

"Interesting old building," Queen noted as he looked around. "I've put a lot of hours in it. But I'm not alone."