Jose Gonzalez Granada Theater Lawrence Lawrence

Granada Theater is a historic silent movie theater that is located in Lawrence, Kansas. The site is also used as a concert venue. It broke ground in 1928 and opened for the local public in the same year. The theater used to have a seating capacity of 2,300 originally, which is currently 900. Originally, it was built as a vaudeville theater by the Boller Brothers. The venue underwent some major renovations in 1934. It was completely transformed into a movie theater. In 1993, the Granada Theater again underwent renovation and was repurposed as a comedy club/concert venue.

The very first film that was shown at the Granada Theater was the 1934 comedy named Hide-Out. The movie was by the famous Robert Montgomery. The 1993 renovation drew some of the most popular acts, including The Flaming Lips, Ben Folds, Nightwish, The Strokes, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Weezer. Some of the other notable artists that performed at the Granada Theater include Henry Rollins, Marilyn Manson, Dirty Projectors, Jerry Cantrell, Rusted Root, John Mayer, The Roots, Jack’s Mannequin, and Walk The Moon.

A live album entitled @ The Granada Theater was recorded by the Kansas City band The GetUp Kids at the Granada Theater. The recording took place in 2005. Almost a yearly highlight of interest was the staged wedding at the Granada Theater.