Overview

The 800-seat theatre was reported have cost $250,000 and opened in late September 1928 with a screening of Glorious Betsy (1928)  starring Dolores Costello and Conrad Nagel.

Auditorium in 1928

The Granada was reported to have been the first Atmospheric theatre to be erected in Minneapolis, its style being described as that of a Spanish garden. The theatre was equipped with Vitaphone and Movietone sound systems, and thus no provision was made for an orchestra or theatre organ. At its opening the theatre was operated by the Northwest Theaters circuit, managed by Mr Gordon Greene.

At some time it seems the theatre did gain an organ, in the form of a 2-manual, 5-rank Marr & Colton  instrument. According to theatre organ historian Terry Kleven the organ was all installed on the house right side of the auditorium, there being no organ chamber on the left side.

The theatre closed in late 1953, reopening as the Suburban World Theatre at the start of January 1954 with a screening of The Importance of Being Earnest (1952) . The theatre was operated by Ted Mann, who also operated the Downtown World Theatre in downtown Minneapolis, hence the Granada acquired the “suburban” name.

The theatre closed in 2003 and was turned into a cinema grill, retaining the Suburban World Theatre name. The operation ran for 11 years before closing in 2014.

In 2019 the theatre reopened as a live entertainment venue and the Granada Theater named restored.