[1] The Alhambra (Blackpool) Limited company was formed, with support from local publican and former acrobat Henry Brooks.

[1][2] Against competition from Frank Matcham and C. J. Phipps, architects Wylson & Long of London won the design contract.

[1] The foundation stone was laid on 18 December 1897 and the building work, undertaken by Whitehead & Son of Blackpool, took two years to complete.

[1][3] Externally, the Alhambra's facade was designed in the French Renaissance style, with decorations in Burmantofts terracotta.

[1] The completed building contained three large spaces; a 3,000-seat theatre, a 3,000-capacity ballroom and a 2,000-seat circus, as well as a winter roof garden and restaurants.

[6] The building may have been demolished in 1961, but its name lives on by means of the Palace Shield, a league competition for cricket teams in the Blackpool, Preston, and surrounding districts of Lancashire.