Tuesday, June 24, 2014

History along Holland Avenue: Alpine's Granada Theatre

Photo: Granada Theatre website
Visitors to Alpine need to take a leisurely stroll to see a peek back to an earlier time in Far West Texas.  So much of the historic fabric of the town is still evident along Holland Avenue, adjacent to the Amtrak station and the heart of the business district.  Case in point:  the Granada Theatre, open for business as Texas-flavored events space.

The history of the Granada Theatre, from its website:

"Construction started on the Granada Theatre in 1928 by the Johnson Company of Fort Stockton, Texas and was completed in 1929. The theater was utilized over the years for screening movies as well as being a place for community events such as the West Texas Jitterbug Championships in 1941 and The Stars Over Texas war bond drive in 1943. In June of that year over 2,500 gathered outside the Granada to catch a glimpse of Hollywood stars; Gene Autry, Chill Wills and Gayle Storm. The bond tour raised over eighteen million dollars for the United States war efforts against the Axis powers. The bond tour was headed by Granada Theater Manager C.W. “Wally” Davis of Alpine."

Today, the Theatre holds many events--some on our Texas Mountain Trail regional events calendar--for residents and visitors, including the Chuckwagon Show and Viva Big Bend festival.  Food is catered by the Theatre's next door neighbor, the Saddle Club.

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