Granada Theatre

The Granada Theatre in Bakersfiled California is a specialty house doing silent movies with a Wurlitzer pipe organ, and screenings for private parties. The theatre is being restored. A new projection screen, sound equipment and Carbon-arc projectors have been installed was well a modern projection equipment. Interested parties may contact Jim Spohn at (661) 326-1308 or look in the Bakersfield telephone directory under Robert Morton.

When I was a kid during the 1960's, the Granada Theatre showed Spanish-language films. I remember that when you went to the restrooms upstairs, you could still see the movie playing through a large glass window in the lobby area outside of the restrooms.

What on earth are those two structures on either side of the auditorium between the stage and the side aisle seats?

They are the chambers for the pipe organ.

The Granada Theatre opened in 1927.

Visit these two sites"

http://www.granada-theatre.com/

http://www.bakersfield.com/media/slideshows/granada/

And visit Jim for a FREE event!

Photo of the Granada Theater on Ebay.

My dad, who was Mexican, would take me almost every Friday night to see the mostly Mexican movies. This was in the late 50's and 60's. I remember the interior theater walls having some kind of raised relief scuptures. I wonder if they are still there? Anybody know. Does anyone have photos of these designs?

These photos are recent, so you may not be able to see the designs you mentioned above:
http://tinyurl.com/2rppcu

Thanks for the above link. I do see (on the left-hand side) one of the designs. I can only hope the rest were preserved.

The L.A. Public Library misidentifies this 1928 photo as being of the California Theatre in Bakersfield. Given the Moorish detailing, suitable for a theatre called the Granada, I wonder if perhaps it actually depict this house. The size and shape of the facade is a good match for that of the Granada, which can be seen on this page as it looked long after its 1950 remodeling.

The Kern County Museum has an image of the Granada Theatre in Bakersfield: http://www.kcmuseum.org/stories/storyReader$1296

The photo to which Clara linked on July 25 clearly depicts the same building in the L.A. Library photo to which I linked on May 13. The distinctively-shaped attic vents above the arched windows to the sides are a dead giveaway.