Attendance was light for the first screenings of “Rocky IV” at the newly reopened Granada Theater July 3, but the nonprofit that recently reopened the downtown Morgan Hill venue has no shortage of plans to draw film, art and culture enthusiasts to the theater over the coming months.
The Morgan Hill Granada Preservation Society is determined to show that the once thriving movie house can become “Morgan Hill’s cultural center” before the city and other regulatory agencies make a final decision on the former Redevelopment Agency property’s fate, according to the nonprofit’s film advisor Ed Milkow.
The volunteer-run organization kicked off this effort just before the Fourth of July with screenings of 1985’s “Rocky IV,” which continued throughout the holiday weekend. The group chose the Sylvester Stallone boxing flick not only because its patriotic themes coincide with the celebration of America’s birthday, but also because it’s a “comeback movie.”
“The Granada is kind of like that,” Milkow said.
This week, the theater will present screenings of the 2013 international independent art film “Ida.”
Future plans include renovating one of the Granada’s two theaters to accommodate a stage for live acts, a dance floor and improved seating, according to MHGPS General Manager Don Wapenski. The live side of the theater will include upgraded sound and lighting as well, and could feature musical acts, comedy shows or even live theater productions.
The only currently active theater was recently upgraded with a 9.2-surround sound system and a digital projector, Wapenski said.
The theater’s operators plan to keep the venue “fun and festive” with theme and costume events, such as a “zombie night,” where those dressed in costume get special treatment for a showing of a classic zombie movie. “And all the humans come in after the zombies,” Wapenski said.
They plan to open the theater for seniors’ events, community and corporate events, screenings of other culturally iconic films and even a “bad movie night,” Wapenski said.
Milkow added, “The main thing is we want people to come in and have a blast.”
With an integrated audiovisual system that can give audience members or live presenters control of the picture and sound, the venue could even be used for school or other educational presentations, Wapenski explained. Churches could use the Granada on Sundays.
“We’d like to support the community like that,” Wapenski said.
The MHGPS has a temporary lease on the Granada Theater, which was closed as a full-time movie theater in 2006. The theater and the property on which it sits, including the Downtown Mall and Morgan Hill Cigar Company, is owned by a trust controlled by Santa Clara County and other taxing entities. The Morgan Hill RDA purchased the property in 2008, but it transferred to the trust when the state shut down the RDA in 2012 and forced local agencies to dispose of its property and other assets in a structured manner.
The city plans to begin requesting proposals from developers for the Granada and Downtown Mall property later this year. City officials are in the process of marketing the property to a developer who will build a project in accordance with the Downtown Specific Plan—a multi-story development with retail or dining on the ground floor, with residences and offices upstairs.
For more information on the MHGPS and to see a schedule of upcoming events, go to morganhillgranada.com.
