Rialto Square Theatre

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Rubens Rialto Square Theater
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location: Joliet, Illinois
Coordinates: 41°31′33.52″N 88°4′52.88″W / 41.5259778, -88.0813556Coordinates: 41°31′33.52″N 88°4′52.88″W / 41.5259778, -88.0813556
Built/Founded: 1926
Architect: Rapp and Rapp
Added to NRHP: July 24, 1978
NRHP Reference#: 78001199 [1]
Governing body: Private

The Rialto Square Theatre is a theater in the Chicago suburb of Joliet, Illinois. It was a movie theater at one time, but it now houses mainly plays and stand up comedy as well as some concerts for musical artists. It is one of the Top 10 theatres in the country[citation needed]. It is considered one of "150 great places in Illinois" by the American Institute of Architects.[2] Inside Rialto Square Theatre, which opened in 1926 and underwent a restoration in the 1980s, shining scagliola columns rise into a celestial dome full of intricate sculptures. A Duchess chandelier dominates the rotunda. Cream-colored marble walls line the lobby and cherubim flutter into the auditorium. The lobby’s marble walls were polished by Conrad Schmitt Studios, the same company that did major restoration work at the Rialto in 1980, Kump said. The black marble base on the walls of the esplanade, fashioned after the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles in France, has been polished, as has the elegant red, pink and gray scagliola above the base.

The Rialto was one of Al Capone's favorite haunts. It was also the place where Christopher Knight and Adrianne Curry held their wedding reception in the final episode of My Fair Brady.

The theatre also is home to the Rialto School of the Arts, a fun and educational program that lets children get involved in art, choir and drama.

A Visual Arts Camp explores different media, tools, and techniques. A Choir camp is also offered, and gives kids a chance to sing and dance, with a final performance on the magnificent Rialto Square Theatre stage. Children's Theatre Workshops are also offered at the theatre by Our Town Productions- A professional theatre company operating in Downers Grove, Illinois.


[edit] References

  1. ^ National Register Information System. National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service (2006-03-15).
  2. ^ Rialto Theatre. American Institute of Architects. Retrieved on 2007-05-14.

[edit] External links

This article about a Registered Historic Place in Illinois is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.