I realize that it would be virtually impossible to save every building of historical value, but it seems a real shame to see some of them disappear from existence when they were so very beautiful. Buildings are regularly added to the historical registries, but many buildings with historical value don’t make it to the list in time to save them, and I suppose that some that are added to the registry, are still unable to be saved. Buildings like the Granada Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, which was demolished the property in 1989 to 1990 to build a planned apartment-and-commercial structure. In the building’s “memory,” the new structure, which was built in 1991, a 16-story apartment tower and shopping arcade was originally named “Granada Center.” Loyola University later bought the building, converting it into 12 floors of student apartments above a base with parking, retail, and university offices. The tower was renamed “Fordham Hall,” while the retail and office section kept the “Granada Center” name.
Sure, modern theaters have their charm, but nothing could match the grandeur of the original Granada Theatre. The movie palace stood in Chicago’s Rogers Park neighborhood at 6427 N. Sheridan Road. Built in 1926 for the Marks Brothers circuit, a major theater operator in the United States. It was designed by Edward E Eichenbaum of Levy and Klein to host both live stage shows and movies. Perfectly situated near an elevated train stop, multiple bus lines, and a spacious parking lot, it offered easy access for everyone. The three-story, 92-foot-tall building boasted a 93-foot-wide rectangular marquee on Sheridan Road, dazzling with thousands of electric lights.
The Granada’s interior featured two main elements…a grand 3,448-seat auditorium and 
the public spaces behind it, just past the impressive entrance. The auditorium offered a column-free main floor with a spacious balcony stretching over the back third of the seats. From the ticket lobby, patrons could take a marble staircase to the mezzanine or step into the grand lobby on the main floor. This lobby was 153 feet deep, 59 feet wide, and topped with a vaulted ceiling of the same height. Its floors and baseboards were made of polished pink Tennessee marble. To the left, doors beneath the second-floor promenade led into the main floor of the auditorium. At the east end, another marble staircase ascended to the second floor and lower balcony. Upper levels featured marble balustrades and handrails. Above, an 80-foot dome was adorned with smaller, ornate inset domes trimmed in gold leaf. Three large arched glass vaults on each side of the balcony glowed blue to mimic the night sky. The central dome formed a rosette, crowned by a smaller dome. Four crystal chandeliers illuminated the main spaces. The theatre debuted on September 18, 1926, with Jack Haskell’s stage show Eastern Nights, alongside Alfred F Brown playing the Wurlitzer 4-manual, 20-rank organ. The stage measured 32 feet deep by 98 feet wide.
The Granada stayed in fairly good shape until early 1988, when vandalism and water damage started to take their toll. Despite efforts to preserve it, Senior Lifestyles Corporation bought and tore down the theater. In 1991, a 16-story apartment tower with a shopping arcade was built and named “Granada Center.” Later, Loyola University acquired the building, converting it into 12 floors of student apartments above a base with parking, 
retail spaces, and university offices. The tower was renamed “Fordham Hall,” while the retail and office section kept the name “Granada Center.” While they tried to keep a bit of the essence of the theater, new buildings can’t hold a candle to the original.
