New theater, Big Well museum showcase Greensburg’s rebuilding efforts

When the May 2007 tornado destroyed the building that housed the world’s largest hand-dug well, Greensburg city leaders vowed to rebuild the museum.

The Big Well was dug in 1888 using shovels, picks, pulley and rope, and mules. It is 109 feet deep and 32 feet wide.

It was built when both the Santa Fe and the Rock Island railroads were laying tracks across western Kansas, and a reliable water source was needed.

For generations, the Big Well was a stopping point along U.S. 54. Visitors could stand at the top of the well, throw coins into it and make wishes, or climb the steep stairs down to the bottom.

In designing the new museum, Roger Brown, a design architect for LawKingdon Architecture of Wichita, told The Eagle in 2011 that he wanted a building that could tell the story and legacy of the people of Greensburg but yet be a symbol of the mighty forces of nature.

The building was designed in a spiral – the shape of both a tornado and the well, he said.

In 2012, the $3.2 million building opened, patterned after the Fibonacci Sequence – digits that continue for eternity without repeating themselves.

“This is our main tourist attraction,” said Stacy Barnes, manager of the Big Well and tourism director for Greensburg. “It is something that is very close to the hearts of everybody here.

“The Big Well was here for the founding of Greensburg, and it is here for the founding of the new Greensburg.”

Featured exhibits in the new museum building tell not only the well's history but also the area’s link with meteorites: Brenham meteorites, named for Brenham Township near Haviland, that fell some 20,000 years ago.

In recent years, record-breaking meteorites – some as big as 1,400 pounds – have been discovered in the area. One of the 1,000-pound meteorites, discovered in 1948, was previously displayed in the old museum. It was found near the Big Well after the tornado.

The new museum is one of the best tourism draws in southwest Kansas and traditionally brings in about 15,000 visitors a year.

When Greensburg announced it would rebuild the museum, 15 to 20 proposals were sent in from architects across the nation, Barnes said. The one from LawKingdon was chosen.

“This one seemed to hit home with all of us,” Barnes said. “It felt right.

“We are so pleased in how this turned out. We get people all the time who say this is a world-class museum.”

‘A tremendous asset’

The Big Well Museum was not the only community treasure brought back to life after the tornado.

Even before the storm hit, Greensburg residents and alumni were already talking about refurbishing and renovating the Twilight Theater, which opened in 1917.

After the tornado, the community rebuilt essential services first. In 2015, a new $3.5 million Twilight Theater became the last major building to be rebuilt.

The new theater, run by a partnership between Kiowa County Schools and the theater’s board of directors, is plush, spacious and filled with state-of-the-art technology.

It was built and is operated with the environment in mind. All packaging for concessions is made from recycled content or is biodegradable and compostable. There are recycling bins, LED light bulbs and rechargeable batteries throughout the building.

The theater boasts the largest screen between Wichita and Denver as well as a stage for a live-performance venue.

So how can a small Kiowa County town support a $3.5 million theater?

“It is a tremendous asset for our community,” Barnes said. “The theater was one thing we had before the tornado and now that it is rebuilt, it is so much more than we had before.

“It is a performing arts center. The school can use it, but it can also be used for tourism. People can rent it out for events and meetings.”

Plus, Barnes said, she looks forward to just taking her kids out on a Friday night to see a movie.

The closest theaters to Greensburg are in Coldwater and Kinsley, and both are older and have smaller screens, she said.

Funds for rebuilding the theater came from private and corporate donations. The J.E. and L.E Maybee Foundation in Tulsa provided $300,000. Similar funding came from the South Central Community Foundation and Friends of Education Trust.

“After the tornado, we had nothing here,” Barnes said.

“Today, we are able to support the businesses we have and have the quality of life that people that live here love.”

This story was originally published April 28, 2017 at 5:36 PM with the headline "New theater, Big Well museum showcase Greensburg’s rebuilding efforts."