Rialto Theater (Omaha, Nebraska) facts for kids
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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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| Coordinates | 41°15′32″N 95°56′07″W / 41.2590°N 95.9353°W |
| 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 famous movie theater located at 1424 Douglas Street in downtown Omaha, Nebraska. It was a popular spot for watching films for many years. Sadly, the building was taken down in 1986. Today, the land where it once stood is part of the Union Pacific Center, a large office building.
Contents
A Look Back at the Rialto Theater
Building the Rialto
The Rialto Theater was a very large building with seats for 2,500 people. It was designed by a company called John Latenser & Sons for the Blank Realty Company. The main builder was Calvin Ziegler. The theater was built with a strong steel frame and had walls made of concrete and masonry (like brickwork).
The outside of the theater was beautiful. It was colored in old ivory and terra cotta (a type of reddish-brown clay). It also had bright blue and red designs. There were three big arches above the main entrance, which was at a diagonal corner. These arches were used for advertising the movies.
Cool Features of the Theater
The Rialto Theater had some special features. It had a nursery where parents could leave their young children with an attendant while they watched the movie. There was also a special screening room and a large area for an orchestra. This orchestra space even had a big pipe organ, which played music during silent films.
On the street level, there were shops. On the second floor, there were offices for businesses. Building and setting up the theater cost about $300,000 in 1917. That was a lot of money back then!
Opening Day and Beyond
The Rialto Theater opened its doors to the public on Memorial Day, May 30, 1918. It was built mainly for showing movies. The very first movie shown was Raffles, the Amateur Cracksman, starring John Barrymore and Evelyn Brent.
At first, the theater showed silent movies, which had no spoken words. An orchestra or the pipe organ would play music along with the film. Later, the theater was changed to show talking movies, which had sound and dialogue.
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The Theater's Closing
The Rialto Theater closed suddenly on August 2, 1929. After it closed, the building was divided into several smaller shops. Over the years, it was used for many different things. It became a bus station, a bowling alley, a clothing store, and even a cafeteria.
The theater's large pipe organ was given to Omaha Central High School. The school planned to put it in their auditorium, but this never happened. The organ was later taken apart and sold for scrap metal.
Rialto in Pop Culture
The Rialto Theater was even mentioned on TV! In an episode of the old television show "That Girl," called "The Phantom of the Horse Opera," a character talks about owning an old organ. He says he got it from "...The Rialto Theater in Omaha, NE..."
See also
