Alhambra Theater

321 N. Central Ave.

Opened in 1913, the Alhambra was the first purpose-built theater in West Duluth. Manager Carl Beier originally conceived it as a venue for vaudeville but branched out to local acts and movies. The building is small, but its auditorium is highly decorated. The decorating was done by Henrik H. B. Holmboe, who also did some of the original decorative work for the Minnesota State Capitol.

By 1930, the building housed small commercial enterprises, but it closed in the 1970s and stayed vacant for fifty years. Enter entrepreneur and Duluth Reader publisher Bob Boone, who had renovated and reopened the West Theater next door in 2019 and who thought he had theater restoration out of his system. The Alhambra benefitted from many donations of authentic historical artifacts, including the chandeliers, f ireproof curtains from the Virginia (Minnesota) School Board, and a bar from the Somerset (Wisconsin) Public Library. Reopened in May 2025, the Alhambra shows films in its small auditorium.