Rialto Theater (Omaha, Nebraska)
File:Rialto Theater, Omaha - In Old Kentucky (1919) 1.jpg
Rialto Theater in Omaha, Nebraska, showing the film In Old Kentucky, circa 1919
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Address | 1424 Douglas Street Omaha, Nebraska United States |
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Owner | Blank Realty Co. |
Type | Movie theater |
Capacity | 2,500 |
Construction | |
Opened | Memorial Day, May 30, 1918 |
Years active | 1918–1929 |
Architect | John Latenser & Sons |
The Rialto Theater was a movie theater at 1424 Douglas Street in Downtown Omaha, Nebraska.[1] The building was razed in 1986 and the site paved over for use as a parking lot.[1] The property was later redeveloped as part of the construction of the Union Pacific Railroad's headquarters building.[1]
Contents
History
The 2,500 seat theater was designed by John Latenser & Sons for the Blank Realty Company.[1] The general contractor was Calvin Ziegler.[2] The theater was of steel frame construction with concrete and masonry walls.[1] The theater's exterior was of old ivory and terra cotta, with accents of polychrome blues and reds.[3] There were three prominent arches for advertising over the theater's diagonal corner entrance.[2] Features included a nursery with an attendant, a screening room and large orchestra space with a pipe organ.[2] Store fronts were built along the street level and business offices were available on the second level.[2] The total investment in the building and its outfitting was estimated in 1917 at $300,000.[2]
The theater, built primarily for movies, opened to the public on Memorial Day, May 30, 1918.[1] The inaugural movie was Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman, starring John Barrymore and Evelyn Brent.[4] Initially built for silent movies, the theater was eventually converted to talking movies.[1] The theater closed suddenly on August 2, 1929 and was subsequently sub-divided into several retail establishments.[1] Its later uses included a bus station, a bowling alley, a retail clothing store and a cafeteria before its eventual demolition in February 1986.[1] The theater's large organ was acquired by Omaha Central High School with plans to install it in the school's auditorium.[1] That plan was never executed upon and the organ was later dismantled and sold for scrap.[1]
See also
- History of Omaha
- List of theaters in Omaha, Nebraska
- Astro Theater
- Creighton Orpheum Theater
- Moon Theater
- World Theater
References
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External links
- May 29, 1918 Rialto Theater Advertisement
- Rialto Theater - Cinema Treasures Photo
- 1920 Rialto Theater Photo
- Historic Rialto Theater Postcard
- Alternate Historic Rialto Theater Postcard
- Rialto Theater Photo Collage
- Rialto Theater Interior Staircase
- Alternate View - Rialto Theater Interior Staircase
- Street View of Rialto Theater