The Granada building houses a stage, office buildings and a labyrinth of rooms and tunnels. The history of the theater is intricate and part of Santa Barbara’s culture.
Finding a theater with a stage in downtown Santa Barbara is not that difficult, but finding one in an eight story building is not much of a challenge either. Most of the structures downtown are limited to a height of two stories and the Granada soars upwards in the skyline, making it visible from the nearby hills. Originally opening on April 9, 1924, the Granada is the tallest building in the city and Santa Barbara’s oldest movie palace.
The building was designed by A.B. Rosenthal and build by C.M. Urton. The legend is that Urton had never build a high-rise before and so he ordered a set of “how-to” books to help him finish what was to be Santa Barbara’s first and only eight story building. Stories say that Urton doubled a number of the specifications of the building plans, using 4×4’s rather than 2×4’s and purchasing higher grade pipes and fittings than required. It’s tempting to think that some part of the tales are true since while the 1925 earthquake cause 8 million dollars of damage and killed 13 people, the Granada only suffered cosmetic damage. As ruined buildings were demolished all around the grand theater, Urton proudly hung a sign on the Granada that read “Built by Charles M. Urton, Builder.”
When the theater opened in 1924, it was a grand event. The outside of the Granada Theater is fairly simple but the inside was modeled after the style of the famous Spanish city of Granada. Guests came in through the grand front lobby with its wide staircases and Moorish arches. The opening night included a combination of film and ballet, showing that the Granada was both a live stage and a movie theater. An enormous chandelier and Wurlitzer organ caught the theatergoers’ attention as they came into the main auditorium of the theater and the balcony included love seats in the loge section. Antique collectors still search for copies of the original, 76 page program from opening night filled with congratulatory notes from current stars including Mary Pickford, Douglas Fairbanks, Harold Lloyd and Cecil B. DeMille.
Next time you visit downtown Santa Barbara, take a moment to spot the Granada Theater as it rises proudly above the city. With a newly restored interior, live stage, and the ability to show movies, the Granada is a still a vibrant part of art and entertainment in Santa Barbara.