Rialto Theater (Omaha, Nebraska)

Rialto Theater
Rialto Theater in Omaha, Nebraska, showing the film In Old Kentucky, circa 1919
Address 1424 Douglas Street
Omaha, Nebraska
United States
Coordinates 41°15′32″N 95°56′07″W / 41.2590°N 95.9353°W / 41.2590; -95.9353Coordinates: 41°15′32″N 95°56′07″W / 41.2590°N 95.9353°W / 41.2590; -95.9353
Owner Blank Realty Co.
Type Movie theater
Capacity 2,500
Construction
Opened Memorial Day, May 30, 1918 (1918-05-30)
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]

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]

Arch Detail, Rialto Theater

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

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Jeffrey S. Spencer [writer and researcher], Kristine Gerber [project director] (2003). Building for the ages : Omaha's architectural landmarks (1st ed.). Omaha, Neb.: Omaha Books. ISBN 0-9745410-1-X.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Rialto Theater, Store and Office Building". The Omaha World-Herald Newspaper, Omaha, Douglas County, NE, USA. September 2, 1917. p. 1.
  3. ↑ "Terra Cotta On Rialto". The Omaha World-Herald Newspaper, Omaha, Douglas County, NE, USA. February 17, 1918. p. 11.
  4. ↑ "Perfect Opening for Rialto Theater". The Omaha World-Herald Newspaper, Omaha, Douglas County, NE, USA. May 31, 1918. p. 7.
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