Astromonkey, David Lister can be reached at He’s the guy in the know. The group also has a list serve: If you want to be added to the list serve, you can e-mail with that request.
The building apparently has been bought by Randy Farrar, who also bought the bookstore and pool hall next door. He’s renovating the pool hall for an upscale pool hall.
The Plaza sat empty until the 1970s when it was converted to office space. The ceiling was dropped at that time, covering up the ornate tin ceiling. Later, it was used by the YMCA. When the YMCA relocated, Robin Hensley bought the building and begain restoring it in 2005. It will still be office space, but he plans on adding a second story above the drop ceiling and opening the drop ceiling in the middle so people can see the original ceiling from the floor. The projection booth is still in place along with a lot of old plumbing and other items. Above the drop ceiling, 50-year old graffit is still visible up high where there would have been balcony seats. Also uncovered during renovation was a badly deteriorated copy of Vol. 1, No. 1 Playboy.
Glad to see so much interest in the Granada. There is no single owner, and it is not for sale. The group is updating bathrooms right now (Feb 2005) and have installed fire doors in the rear of the building. Anyone with resources or who would like to make a donation may e-mail the group at The group is trying to get the building up to code in order to hold fund-raising events. Another theater in Mt. Vernon, the Plaza, is also being renovated but not as a theater. It had been converted to an office, and the tin ceiling had been covered. That is being opened up now. It’s been hidden behind a false ceiling for 30 years.
Astromonkey, David Lister can be reached at He’s the guy in the know. The group also has a list serve: If you want to be added to the list serve, you can e-mail with that request.
The building apparently has been bought by Randy Farrar, who also bought the bookstore and pool hall next door. He’s renovating the pool hall for an upscale pool hall.
The Plaza sat empty until the 1970s when it was converted to office space. The ceiling was dropped at that time, covering up the ornate tin ceiling. Later, it was used by the YMCA. When the YMCA relocated, Robin Hensley bought the building and begain restoring it in 2005. It will still be office space, but he plans on adding a second story above the drop ceiling and opening the drop ceiling in the middle so people can see the original ceiling from the floor. The projection booth is still in place along with a lot of old plumbing and other items. Above the drop ceiling, 50-year old graffit is still visible up high where there would have been balcony seats. Also uncovered during renovation was a badly deteriorated copy of Vol. 1, No. 1 Playboy.
Glad to see so much interest in the Granada. There is no single owner, and it is not for sale. The group is updating bathrooms right now (Feb 2005) and have installed fire doors in the rear of the building. Anyone with resources or who would like to make a donation may e-mail the group at The group is trying to get the building up to code in order to hold fund-raising events. Another theater in Mt. Vernon, the Plaza, is also being renovated but not as a theater. It had been converted to an office, and the tin ceiling had been covered. That is being opened up now. It’s been hidden behind a false ceiling for 30 years.