Al. Ringling Theatre facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Al Ringling Theatre
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The Al. Ringling Theatre
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 Location in Wisconsin
Location in the United States
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| Location | 136 4th Ave., Baraboo, Wisconsin |
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| Built | 1915 |
| Architect | C.W. Rapp, George L. Rapp |
| Architectural style | Beaux Arts |
| NRHP reference No. | 76000202 |
| Added to NRHP | May 17, 1976 |
The Al. Ringling Theatre in Baraboo, Wisconsin, United States, is a super cool historic building. It first opened its doors in November 1915 and has been showing movies and live shows ever since!
Albert Ringling, one of the famous Ringling Brothers who started the circus, built this amazing theater. He spent about $100,000 on it, which was a huge amount of money back then!
Contents
Discover the Al. Ringling Theatre
Built by a Circus Legend
The Al. Ringling Theatre was built by Albert Ringling. He was one of the five brothers who founded the famous Ringling Brothers circus. Albert wanted to create a beautiful and grand place for entertainment right in his hometown of Baraboo.
The theater was designed by a well-known architectural firm called Rapp and Rapp. They were famous for designing many theaters and movie palaces.
Amazing Architecture and Design
The design of the Al. Ringling Theatre is truly special. The architects, Rapp and Rapp, based some of their ideas on another theater they built in Illinois.
The inside of the theater, especially the main hall, looks very fancy. People say its decorations were inspired by grand opera houses in France. Some think it looks like the opera house at the famous Palace of Versailles!
Music and Movies Through the Years
When the theater first opened, it had a special pipe organ. Later, a different, even bigger organ was installed. This new organ had a unique "circus wagon" style console, which fit perfectly with the Ringling family's circus history!
Over the years, the Al. Ringling Theatre has hosted all sorts of entertainment. It showed early silent movies, which were films without sound. It also featured vaudeville shows, which were live performances with different acts like comedy, music, and dancing. Even famous actors like Lionel Barrymore and Mary Pickford performed there!
A Piece of History
The Al. Ringling Theatre is so important that it was even featured on a TV show! An episode of PBS's History Detectives explored whether it was one of the very first grand movie palaces in the country. It's a true landmark in Baraboo and a reminder of a golden age of entertainment.
