1. Good idea to open the movie house for upcoming film fest
Ah, the Granada, the grand old dame of Morgan Hill’s downtown and a city-owned building without a purpose.
It’s empty existence is an ongoing dilemma that, barring the appearance of a deep-pockets benefactor, won’t be solved in the near future.
There are a few examples of successful conversions of “vintage” downtown movie houses. The Fox Theater in Redwood City, where President Obama recently spoke, springs to mind. But it is far larger and able to accommodate a meeting crowd or serve as a concert venue. And still it’s been an economic struggle. The Granada seats about 200, which is probably 125 more than needed for an art film showing.
2. Could a public-private partnership get the theater doors open?
Even without a solution on the horizon, it’s a fine idea to open the house, clean up the forgotten lady and screen movies for the upcoming Poppy Jasper Festival. Who knows what fresh ideas may come from swinging the doors open and reminding the public of the Granada’s existence?
Perhaps a spotlight returned will catch the eye of a benefactor. It would take at least a couple of million dollars to re-open the building as a movie house. There’s expensive digital projection equipment, seat refurbishment and building upgrades that would have to be made.All this is difficult to square up with the nostalgic sentiment that is pervasive with many city residents. Who wants to let go of Jujubes, 25-cent-a-bag popcorn and a bike ride to the local movie theater downtown?
3. There are positive signs that downtown will thrive again
While the nostalgia vs. reality screenplay rolls sleepily on toward an unknown conclusion, the Granada remains in stately hibernation. Could a community organization, hell bent on restoring downtown’s centerpiece, come to the rescue? Would a public-private partnership get the doors open again? Or will the time come when a bulldozer belts the marquis into submission and pummels the nostalgic past until it exists only in museum photographs?
Ultimately, it’s up to the residents to make their wishes clear to the powers that be. A community campaign to “Give Granada Life” could re-focus attention and start the raising of seed money. But there does not seem to be any sense of urgency.
Still, there are positive signs downtown with the news that Dan McCranie, co-owner of the wildly successful downtown dining establishment, the Ladera Grill, has purchased the former South Valley Bike Shop building on the southwest corner of Monterey Road and Second Street. His plans are to build a new structure, so the central downtown spot that has been vacant for five years will no longer be a ghost spot in the not-too-distant future.
Meanwhile, the colorful herons and flamingos decorating the walls inside the Granada will remain in darkness, waiting for the day when people again become a part of the landscape – a landscape that, hopefully, will be a part of a revived and thriving downtown in Morgan Hill.
