Granada Theatre

632 N. Avalon Blvd. Wilmington (Los Angeles), CA 90744 | map |

Opened: The Granada Theatre opened in 1926. It featured vaudeville as well as films and has a stagehouse with fly capability, dressing rooms, and an orchestra pit. Photo: Bill Counter - August 2021

The theatre is on the east side of the street at G St., a block south of Anaheim St. Avalon used to be called Canal St. before it got renamed around 1928.

Architect: W.J. MacCormack.    

Seating: It was 994, including a small balcony. The seats are now gone from the main floor.

A drawing of the new Granada that appeared in the Long Beach Press-Telegram on May 5, 1925. The caption was "Theatre To Be Built On Canal Street -- Above is Shown a Picture of New Picture and Vaudeville Playhouse, To Cost $80,000, Which Will Be Erected by C.L. Post and Ground for Which Was Broken Yesterday." Thanks to the now-dormant Friends of the Wilmington Granada Facebook page for posting the drawing and accompanying news story. The story noted:

"Ground was broken at special ceremonies Saturday for the new Post Theater at 625 Canal Street, Wilmington, to be built at a cost of $80,000 and to show both vaudeville and pictures. The theater, which is owned by Carroll L. Post, of Post Toasties fame, will seat 1,000 persons in the main auditorium and on the balcony. The front will be two stories in height and will house two stores below and offices on the second floor. The main auditorium of the theater will be 63 1/2 by 96 feet. The building over all will cover a lot 75 by 153 feet. 

 

"The Harbor Construction Company has the contract for the building and W.J. MacCormack is the architect. The exterior front is designed in Moorish influence, with a cornice frieze of ceramic tile across the top and a picturesque row of Moorish arches in which windows are set at the second floor level, supported by twisted columns."  

Joe Vogel found a 1993 Wilmington Historical Society report on the theatre based on information from theatre historian Ed Kelsey. It's available as a PDF. from the Los Angeles Public Library. The report mentions that a "P" (for Mr. Post) still appears in the plaster at the top of the proscenium. Also of interest is the comment that gas was used for the emergency lighting with the gas jets still visible in some exit signs at the time of the report.

It was an operation of West Coast Theatres. It's listed as the West Coast Granada in the 1926 San Pedro city directory. After the firm became Fox West Coast the theatre was frequently advertised as the Fox Granada. In the city directories from 1930 through 1952 it's listed as just the Granada.

The Spanish Revival style house got an overlay of deco ornament during an upgrade by Clifford A. Balch in 1937. Included in the project was new entrance terrazzo, some deco light fixtures and deco designs on the auditorium side wall panels.

A 1953 ad. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding it for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.  

 

 

 
Fox West Coast ran the theatre at least into 1958. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for locating this San Pedro News-Pilot ad from that year for a post on Photos of Los Angeles. 

 

When it reopened, it was operated by Metropolitan Theatres as a Mexican language film house, Teatro Granada.

Closing: Metropolitan closed the theatre in 1992. It was used as a church for many years. They moved out in 2013 and by 2014 the property was on the market. In September 2014 the asking price was $1,495,000.

"Wilmington wants to bring its vaudevillian theater, the Granada, back to life" was a July 2015 Long Beach Press-Telegram story by Donna Littlejohn that detailed the efforts of realtor Monica Garcia (née Massey) to reopen and restore the theatre. A July 2015 Curbed L.A. story "Wilmington's 1926 Vaudeville Theater..." by Bianca Barragan featured photos by Hunter Kerhart.

A new owner: It sold c.2018 for an unknown amount. The new owners are Platinum Global Entertainment, Inc. and OPEG, Inc. 

The City's Office of Historic Resources had recommended that the theatre be given landmark status. After a presentation to the Cultural Heritage Commission on April 15, 2021 the commissioners agreed with that recommendation. The visuals for the OHR presentation are available as two PDFs under "PowerPoint Presentations" in a 4/15/21 Google Drive folder. 

The Los Angeles City Council voted on September 29, 2021 to declare the theatre a City Cultural-Historic Monument. Thanks to Ann Hubbell Tompkins for spotting "Wilmington's Granada Theater, once a vaudevillian stage, gets historic designation," an article in the Daily Breeze. Deadline also had a story with the news. 

Status: The new owner of the building has been doing a major remodel. It'll be an events center, available for rent for various shows and functions. Work includes replacement of the marquee, removal of 40s vintage dropped ceilings in the lobby, building out new restrooms and removal of the main floor seats and terracing the floor. 

The information was first reported in a January 2021 post on the Friends of the Wilmington Granada Facebook page. It looked like there would be a 2023 reopening but the project appears to have stalled. 2025? We'll see. 

Outer lobby views: 

Looking out to the street. This area had once been a ticket lobby open to the street before the doors were added in line with the boxoffice. Thanks to the Friends of the Wilmington Granada Facebook page for the 2015 photo.

A terrazzo view. Photo: Ken McIntyre - 2007 

Display cases on the north side of the lobby. Photo: Ken McIntyre - 2007

A peek toward the house left end of the inner lobby. It's a photo that was with the Loopnet listing for the theatre when it was offered for sale in 2014.

A peek in toward the house right end of the inner lobby. The white posts mark the line of the original entrance doors. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2014. Michelle's photos from her 2014 visit are part of a 28 photo Granada Theatre set on the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation Facebook page.

The LAHTF is actively involved in the study and preservation of the vintage theatres in the Los Angeles area. The group frequently supports events and offers tours of the buildings.

www.lahtf.org | group Facebook page | official FB page

 

 

The space in 2021 after removal of the dropped ceiling. Thanks to Mike Hume for this photo as well as his many others appearing on this page. Visit his Historic Theatre Photography site for thousands of terrific photos of the many theatres he's explored in L.A. and elsewhere. Some of Mike's Granada shots can also be seen in a post on the Archiving Technical Theatre History Facebook page. 

 

 

An outer lobby ceiling detail. It's a photo from the City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources taken for an April 15 presentation to the Cultural Heritage Commission in support of an application for the building to be designated a Historic-Cultural Monument. The photos from the OHR survey are available as a two PDFs under "PowerPoint Presentations" in a Google Drive folder. 

 

 

 

The 20s vintage paint and plasterwork at the entrance. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

A view out to the street. Photo: City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources - 2021

 

 

The inner lobby:

The house right end of the lobby. Photo: Loopnet - c.2014

A closer look at the sign. Photo: Michelle Gerdes- 2014

The house right stairs to the balcony. Photo: Ken McIntyre - 2007

The snackbar ready for the crowd. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2014 

 

 

Looking to house right after some demo work. Photo: City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources - 2021  

 

 

Building out new restrooms on the house right end of the lobby. Much of the area being used was once a retail space. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

A peek up the house right stairs as well as into the auditorium. Photo: Mike Hume - 2021 

 

 

The top of the stairs with a sliver of the auditorium. Photo: Mike Hume - 2021

 

 

An inner lobby view to house left. Photo: City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources - 2021

 

 

The house left stairs. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

A former ladies restroom area beyond the house left stairs. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

The top of the house left stairs. Photo: Mike Hume - 2021

The auditorium:

 

A look toward the stage during the theatre's church era. Thanks to Hunter Kerhart for his 2014 photo taken for the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation. Keep up with Hunter's latest explorations: on Facebook | HunterKerhart.com | on Flickr

 

On the side walls one can see the the deco work the theatre received in 1937 to "modernize" its Spanish style interior. And, of course, down low that's a coat of "church white."

 

 

 A balcony view of the church set. Thanks to Stephen Russo for his 2014 photo. 

 

A look out from the house right organ chamber. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2014. Photos from her visits to the theatre, as well as those from many other theatre explorations, appear in her Theatres - California album on Flickr.

The rear of the house from the organ chamber. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2014

Across the balcony to house right. Thanks to Cinema Treasures contributor Granola for the 2016 photo. 

  The deco murals on the house right wall. It's a 2014 photo by Stephen Russo.

A balcony view to house left. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2014 

Down the left center aisle in the theatre's church days. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2010

A look across the back of the main floor when it still had seats. Photo: Loopnet - c.2014

A closer look at one of the balcony soffit fixtures. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2014

 

 

The house left organ grille. Photo: Loopnet - c.2014

A main floor wall sconce. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2014

Checking out the 1926 end standards. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2014

 

The auditorium during renovations:  

 

The back of the house after the floor had been leveled. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

The back corner house left. It's a 2021 shot from the City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources. Their photos are available as two PDFs under "PowerPoint Presentations" in a Google Drive folder.   

 

 

A look toward the stage. Photo: City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources - 2021 

 

 

A stage view with the ad curtain partially flown. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

A closer look toward stage right. Thanks to Michelle Gerdes for this shot and her other 2021 photos appearing here. See her Wilmington album on Flickr for additional photos. Many of the photos also appear on a Facebook post she did.

 

A house left organ grille detail. Photo: City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources - 2021

 

 

Inside the house left organ chamber. Photo: Mike Hume - 2021

 

The theatre's 1926 vintage advertising curtain. It's hung just upstage of the asbestos. Photo: Mike Hume - 2021

 

 

The center of the ad curtain. In the lower right corner of the mural it says "Painted by Armstrong-Power Studios." Photo: Mike Hume - 2021

 

 

A look into the pit. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

A view to house right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

Balcony soffit fixtures on the front of the stage. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

The house left wall. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

A closer look at the front bay beyond the organ grille area. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

The second bay house left. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

A closer look at the second bay. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

A detail of the deco panel in the third bay. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

The capital on one of the sidewall pilasters. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

The new flat floor look toward the rear of the house. Photo: City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources - 2021

 

 

A plaster detail in the balcony. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2021 

 

 

The balcony crossaisle view. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2021

 

 

The view to the empty stage. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2021

 

House right. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2021. Thanks, Michelle!

 

 

 

A view to house left. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

The advertising curtain on display. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

Across to house left. Photo: City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources - 2021

 

 

The back corner house right -- and the booth door.  Photo: City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources - 2021

In the booth:

 

Mothballed projectors. Well, lamps and bases anyway. The #2 projector head and soundhead had been removed. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2014 

 

 

Not running a show anytime soon. Photo: City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources - March 2021

 

 

 

A look at the front wall later during the remodel. Photo: Bill Counter - August 2021

 

 

The back wall as seen from the house right entrance. Photo: Bill Counter - August 2021

The stage: 

The vista back toward the booth when the house still had seats on the main floor. Photo: Hunter Kerhart - 2014

Off right looking across the dimmerboard. It's now gone. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2014

The Armstrong-Power wire-guide counterweight system. Photo: Michelle Gerdes - 2014 

 

 

A look behind the counterweight system. Stairs to the basement dressing rooms are on the left. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021 

 

 

A wider view from behind the lockrail. Photo: Mike Hume - 2021

Down right, minus the dimmerboard. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

The passage out into the house from down right. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

Another view of the switchboard recess. Photo: Mike Hume - 2021

 

 

Looking up from downstage right. Photo: Mike Hume - 2021

 

 

A downstage lockrail detail. The advertising curtain is the set with the wood floorblock to the left of the rail. Set #1 is the house traveler. The ropelock with the red tape is for borderlight #1, set "1B." The motorized set is the top masking for the movie screen. The ropelocks carry the "ArPo" brand. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021 

 

 

The upstage end of the lockrail. Note that the arbors have a center rail and use weights with a "T" slot at the center and must be loaded from near the top of the arbor. Photo: Mike Hume - 2021

 

 

 

A wider look at the system. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

A view up above the index strip light. Photo: Mike Hume - 2021

 

 

The vista across to stage left. Theatre explorers Michelle Gerdes, Steve Gerdes and Mike Hume are checking out the theatre during the August 15, 2021 CicLAvia event when the Los Angeles Historic Theatre Foundation had an information display out front. Photo: Bill Counter

 

 

A look across to stage right. The stage is about 24' deep. Note that fluorescent 1st electric, an installation done by a former church tenant. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

 

The auditorium as seen from stage left. Photo: Mike Hume - 2021

 

 

The wood floor block for the asbestos curtain off left. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

The lattice track arbor for the asbestos offstage left. Photo: Mike Hume - 2021

 

 

An off left view to the grid. Photo: Mike Hume - 2021

 

 

The stairs to the basement from downstage left. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

Looking to stage right along the basement dressing room corridor. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

One of the dressing rooms. Photo: Mike Hume - 2021

 

 

The marquee letter room. Photo: Mike Hume - 2021

 

 

 

On the centerline, looking through the musicians' room and into the pit and auditorium. Photo: Mike Hume - 2021. Thanks to Mike for his photos. Visit his Historic Theatre Photography site for thousands of views of the many theatres he's explored in L.A. and elsewhere. Also see his Granada post on the Archiving Technical Theatre History Facebook page. 

 

 

Looking up the stage right stairs. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

The USA bug and addresses for Armstrong-Power studios on the back of the advertising curtain. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021

 

 

"Professional Discount" - "Catering to the Profession." They're ads intended for crew and performers on the back of the curtain. Photo: Bill Counter - 2021 

 

 

More exterior views: 

 

c.1930 - The Granada running "Illusion," a September 1929 release with Charles Rogers and Nancy Carroll. As the marquee says: "All Talking Singing Dancing." Thanks to the Friends of the Wilmington Granada Facebook page for locating the photo.

1938 - A look at the front of the Granada from the L.A. Times. Thanks to Monica Garcia who got the clipping from the Wilmington Historical Society and posted it on the Los Angeles Theatres Facebook
page. The caption:

"Wilmington Entertainment Center - The entertainment center of Wilmington is the Fox Granada Theatre where the latest Hollywood productions are screened for the enjoyment of local residents. Morse Rabwin, manager, constantly strives to give Wilmington entertainment seekers better and more attractive shows. The Fox Granada, located at 632 Avalon Blvd., is truly the center of 'entertainment deluxe.' The Fox Avalon, located one block north, is also under the same banner and brings specialized entertainment."

1958 - A parade celebrating Wilmington's Centennial. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for finding the photo for a post on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page.

1958 - Another Centennial parade view with a troop of Boy Scouts. It's a photo from the Wilmington Historical Society. Thanks to the Friends of the Wilmington Granada for posting it on their Facebook page. 

1983 - Thanks to American Classic Images for this photo from their collection.

1983 - A night view from American Classic Images.

2002 - A look at the facade by Betty Sword. Thanks to Cezar Del Valle for sharing the photo from his collection. Cezar is a Brooklyn-based theatre historian with a serious interest in Los Angeles Theatres. For more information on his latest explorations visit his Theatre Talks blog.

Note the lettering above the readerboards calling it the Teatro Jorge Ortiz de Pinedo, named after the Mexican film actor Jorge Ortiz de Pinedo Pallás. Later the church put Granada lettering back up above the center readerboard. 

2007 - A view south across the entrance. Photo: Ken McIntyre - 2007. Thanks, Ken!

2010 - A signage detail. Photo: Michelle Gerdes

2011 - A look south along forlorn Avalon Blvd. Photo: Google Maps

2014 - The theatre during its "For Sale" period. Photo: Hunter Kerhart. Thanks, Hunter!

2014 - A closer look at the boxoffice. Photo: Michelle Gerdes. Thanks, Michelle!

 

2015 - A photo of the marquee advertising a fundraiser. It's a shot that appeared with "Wilmington wants to bring its vaudevillian theater, the Granada, back to life," a July 2015 Long Beach Press-Telegram story by Donna Littlejohn that detailed the efforts of realtor Monica Massey (now Monica Garcia) to reopen and restore the theatre.

 

   

2016 - Thanks to contributor Granola for the photo, a post on Cinema Treasures. 

 

 

2017 - A view from Google Maps. 

 

2020 - Sorry, no more marquee. Thanks to Ken McIntyre for his July photo, one included in a thread about the theatre on the Photos of Los Angeles Facebook page. 

 

2020 - Stripped down even more and the entrance archway redone. It's a December photo from Google Maps. 

 

2021 - A look at the remaining marquee structure. It's a photo from the City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources taken for their April 15 presentation to the Cultural Heritage Commission in support of an application for the building to be designated a Historic-Cultural Monument. The photos from the the OHR survey are available as two PDFs under "PowerPoint Presentations" in a Google Drive folder. 

 

 

2021 - A facade detail. Thanks to Michelle Gerdes for sharing her photo. See the Wilmington album on Flickr for additional shots she took during the August 15 CicLAvia event. Many of the photos also appear on a Facebook post.

 

2021 - A view along the new entrance doors after removal of the marquee and the dropped ceiling that had been in this area. The outline of where the boxoffice had been is seen in the terrazzo at the bottom of the image. Photo: City of Los Angeles Office of Historic Resources

 

2021 - The north side of the building. Photo: Bill Counter

 

2021 - The theatre as seen from Broad St., one block to the east. Photo: Bill Counter

 

The Granada in the Movies:

Arnold Schwarzenegger is on the street of a small Texas town in "Twins" (Universal, 1988) when he sees a car that he needs to borrow to go find his twin brother, played by Danny DeVito.  

 

A moment later it's revealed that we're in Wilmington when we get this quick look at the Granada. The film, directed by Ivan Reitman, also features Kelly Preston, Chloe Webb, David Caruso, Nehemiah Persoff and Hugh O'Brien. The cinematography was by Andrzej Bartkowiak. See the Historic L.A. Theatres in Movies post for images of the Chinese, Fox Hollywood and a distance view toward the Paramount.

More Information: See the Cinema Treasures page for a discussion about the Granada and lots of links to photos. Thanks to Joe Vogel and Ken McIntyre for fine research. The Cinema Tour page has a 2002 Bob Meza exterior photo.

There's a Friends of the Wilmington Granada Facebook page but there hasn't been a lot of action on it lately. Loopnet still has a listing for the theatre even though it's not on the market.

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