Granada Theatre

LouRugani on July 7, 2026 at 3:19 pm

Family aims to restore old movie theater - Granada was constructed in Racine in 1928 (By Michael Burke, The Racine Journal Times)

In the late 1920s, people of this city were constructing lavish movie theaters as fast as Walgreens were built in two years, and most neighborhoods had one nearby.

But by the 1970s, another generation of residents was demolishing the old movie houses like they were rat-infested eyesores.

Today it’s nearly impossible to find an old theater here that’s both semi-intact and feasible to restore. However, one comes close.

The Namowicz family of Warren Industries has bought and wants to restore the former Granada Theater, 1921 Charles St. “We want to bring back the glamour” of the 1928 theater, said David Namowicz.

Given acceptable restoration costs, the owners envision possibly turning the building into a banquet hall and/or events center.

It was Namowicz who first explored the old building - last used by its Illinois owner for storage and saw its potential. Steven, Thomas, Carolyn and Michael Namowicz went along with the idea, and the family bought the structure for $150,000.

David Namowicz indicated the theater lobby’s ceiling and said, “That’s what caught my eye.”

Its considerable architectural detail is all there - just as much of the plaster work throughout the building remains. The main original features missing are the stage and the sloping floor. A poured, level concrete floor forever obscures the original floor.

However, much of the stage house remains, including the large proscenium arch and the fly loft, just under the ceiling, which is 48 feet tall there. From the loft, workers would haul away scenery used in the vaudeville plays, said theater historian Fred Hermes of Racine.

Hermes said five local theaters were built in about 1927-28: the Granada, Capitol, Majestic, Crown and Venetian. “There was a tremendous interest in silent films,” he said, and vaudeville was still popular entertainment.

The Granada Theater, which operated until 1961, differentiated itself from other local theaters with its Spanish theme, “so it was kind of gaudy,” Namowicz said.

In the early years, for 15 cents a person, one could go to one of those grand theaters “and be treated like a queen,” Hermes said. “It was just as much a treat to see the inside as it was to see the movie.”

Among local movie theaters. the Granada wasn’t one of the most opulent. It was “a little bit below the middle,” Hermes said. However, by today’s standards, it’s a delight, with 24-foot ceilings in the seating area, terrazzo floors, and intricate plaster work adorning the walls and ceilings.

“It’ll never be like the Venetian and Rialto, Namowicz said, "but it’s definitely gorgeous.”

The building even has the original fireplace in the lobby. “I found (it) last week Namowicz said, hidden behind one of the walls that was added later to carve up the theater for later uses.

The Granada fared better in its decades of disuse than most local theaters. Most obviously, it wasn’t razed. Second, its domed roof undoubtedly helped ward off water damage. Finally, whoever erected interior walls did so respectfully, causing very slight damage to the structure.

“We got lucky here, because so far the damage is nominal,” Namowicz said.

When the old theater went on the market, he said, other bids came from a print shop and an auto repair business. Namowicz and his family didn’t think either one came close to realizing the Granada’s potential.

In addition to the theater itself, they bought the adjacent building at 1925 Charles St. All their plans are predicated on a restoration cost they can afford but if it does happen, that next-door building will play a part.

To run a banquet hall/events center they’d need a large kitchen, and to meet present building codes they’d need new bathrooms. They could put the kitchen and bathrooms in the adjacent building with a doorway in between, “so we don’t damage the theater, Namowicz explained.

“What I really need right now,” he said, “I need someone with some pictures” from the Granada’s early years.

If the costs aren’t prohibitive and the restoration can be done, the Granada will become a tangible link to a bygone era In Racine.

Namowicz said “It’s definitely going to give the city of Racine the feeling for what we have lost.” (August 28, 2005)

rivest266 on November 14, 2017 at 6:43 pm

Grand opening ad in the photo section and below.

Found on Newspapers.com

Joe Vogel on May 15, 2012 at 4:24 pm

The item is two and a half years old, but here is a photo gallery with two historic and five modern photos of the Granada Theatre. As the auditorium floor has been leveled with concrete, it’s unlikely that this house will be returned to use as a theater. The owner as of October, 2010, intended to use the space as a banquet hall and events center.

This web page has four small photos of the facade by the construction company that did the restoration work.

I’ve been unable to find any recent reports on this project, and I can’t find a banquet hall or events center listed it its address. The project might have been stalled by the sluggish economy.

LouisRugani on December 8, 2009 at 6:19 pm

The Granada Theatre provided the 700-pound switchboard for the Racine Playhouse at 601 High Street in 1961. It was installed
under the stage.

Broan on September 30, 2007 at 10:20 pm

Recent photos of this theatre are HERE

kencmcintyre on February 13, 2007 at 8:25 pm

Crime in 1933:

Two Burglars Arrested After 5-Block Chase

Racine, Wis.â€"Two Milwaukee men were arrested here early today, following the burglary of the Granada theater, a suburban house. One of the men was caught after a chase of five blocks, halting only when the pursuing policeman fired several shots over his head. Loot totaling $450 was taken when the theater safe was opened. The men held give their names as Edwin Sampson, 25, 2060 58th street, and Eugene Hughes, 25, 7716 West Stevens street. Hughes confessed his part in the burglary and implicated Sampson, but the latter denied he participated, police said.

The loot consisted of $250 in checks, $45 in cash, a diamond ring a diamond brooch, a diamond stick pin and a gold watch. The checks, $10 in cash, the diamond stickpin and the brooch were found on Hughes' person, authorities said. A third Milwaukee man, believed to be the driver for the captured pair, was being sought by Racine and Milwaukee police. Racine police said Hughes and the driver answer the description of the men who shot and slightly wounded Earl Halberstadt, 35, tavern proprietor, in an attempted holdup here early Sunday morning. Halberstadt was shot in the head by two robbers who confronted him as he drove into his garage. The robbers fled.