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Granada Theatre For Sale
posted by
Elaine
on
January 27, 2005 at 8:37 am
BEAVER FALLS, PA — The Granada Theatre, an Art Deco jewel built in 1931, is once again offered for sale at $119,000.
The mostly original facade provides a fitting entrance to the grand stage area. Much of the interior architecture around the stage area remains intact, albeit in need of tender loving care.
Local historians have documented old photos of the theatre in its heyday, and blueprints of the facade are available.
Beaver Falls is located 35 miles northwest of the heart of downtown Pittsburgh, PA in the gently rolling hills of western Pennsylvania. It is approximately four miles from the Pennsylvania Turnpike near the Ohio border.
If your dream is to restore and revitalize a piece of theatre history, contact Elaine M. Savoldi, GRI, RE/MAX Associate Brokers, 1147 Third Street, Beaver, PA 15009, 724-728-0500, or
Comments (9)
Elaine I have been trying to send you an email and its getting returned each time. I work in the film / movie industry and am very interested in speaking to you regarding the possible purchase of this
movie house. Please email me at
Many Thanks!
This has been for sale since last June .
Problem is that the main floor of the movie house is now offices
and the balcony needs to be remodeled. There could be asbestos as well and already the cost is exceeding the value of the property
ten-fold. I recommend leaving this one alone, sad to say!
We are tenants in the basement of this theater.The builing is solid structurally,including the roof supports.When built the roof was constructed of a 2-piece solid concrete roof that did not stand up to the elements.The Granada closed in the early 1960’s.The upper levels of the balcony,primarily in the northwest and northeast areas need a lot of work due to water damage.recent pics. and more info along with history pics. are available thru me..Bill Cwynar
still listed on loopnet for sale $90,000.00
Hello All,
I obtained quite a few updated pictures of this theatre as it was one of the first I seriously considered for purchase. What it used to be was something very grand indeed. It is an Atmospheric that very much mirrors the work of John Eberson, but was created by someone initially not known to me…but yet an artisan in his own right. There is much evidence of this theatre’s past grandeur still in place, but what it is today would require a huge miracle and a few million dollars to get it back up to speed. Two huge problems that would have to be addressed is the fact that the offices/tenant space extends far into the auditorium. In fact it looks to extend right to the proscenium which is miraculously still intact. So a conversion back to original would require re-raking of the auditorium, which was leveled via concrete. So we would be talking major jack hammer action and demolition work to start. Next is the roof. The entire concrete roof would have to be removed and replaced. Concrete roofs are notorious for failure. Once these two major items are done, then the building can be restored. Is it possible, yes. Would it be worth it? Perhaps not now, but in the future. Beaver Falls is a beautiful town that fell victim of being in an area known as ‘The Rust Belt’ called as such because of the dilapidated steel factories that closed in the 80’s and as such lead to many a town’s demise along this area which extends from west NY to East Ohio and straight down past Pittsburgh. While many of these towns do have a downtown developement plan in progress…it is a slow process. In the case of Beaver Falls, this theatre could represent a major boost in the revitalization of it’s downtown area and they definately need a place like this. Is it ready now? Maybe. I have not looked into the potential revenues it could bring in. However one thing that is certain, it requires someone that has much more financial backing to bring up to the plate than I can muster up. But the building does need help and fast as if the leak is allowed to continue it could put this building beyond restoration capability. That would be very sad as this one could be a beauty.
JG
Is this still for sale?
Hello Jen,
I belive it is still for sale and last price I seen it at was for $109k. I have seen recent pictures of the interior and it is in deplorable shape. the front part of the building is very restorable, but the deeper in you go, the the worse it gets. It was a depressing site to me because this WAS a beautiful theatre, very much like the Eberson atmospherics.
The theatre has two huge problems. One is that the stores have been built right into the auditorium and the floor was leveled with concrete. Miraculously, the stage and proscenium are intact (but in bad shape). The next major problem is the roof, it is made from concrete slabs and it is leaking near the balcony area and destroyed much of the ceiling and part of the wall in that area. In order to fix the roof you, by right, should remove the concrete slabs and go with an updated rubber roof. Both of these jobs alone will put the restoration costs in the millions of dollars.
The final thing you need to look into is if the town will support a theatre as large as this. This is a BIG theatre, with an occupancy of over 1500. Many small towns, like Beaver Falls, would find even a 500 occupancy theatre large.
However, if you do have the means and the town can support the project, I strongly believe that this theatre could clean up into a beauty once again.
JG
JG,
I am working on a Fesability Study to restore or re-use the Granada Theater in Beaver Falls and would be interested in hearing your ideas. Please contact me at