Rialto Community Arts Center

The Rialto Community Arts Center is a historic movie theatre and community arts venue in Morrilton, Arkansas, United States. It is the home of the Arts Council of Conway County, which operates the venue and presents film screenings, live theatre, and community events. The theatre opened in 1911 as the first motion picture theatre in Morrilton, founded by Guy O. Vail. Over more than a century it passed through several owners and names — including The Grand Theatre and the Rialto Theatre — and was repeatedly remodeled, notably to accommodate the arrival of talking pictures in 1930. Today the Rialto functions as a nonprofit-oriented arts center, offering a calendar of films, stage productions, gallery exhibitions, rentals, and fundraising events. Its programming supports local cultural initiatives such as the Conway County Imagination Library, which provides free books to children from birth to age five. The organization relies on ticket sales, donations, and community support to keep its doors open.

The Rialto Community Arts Center traces its origins to 1911, when Guy O. Vail opened what is now the Rialto in Morrilton, Arkansas. It was the first motion picture theatre in Morrilton and remained under Vail's ownership until the spring of 1925, when it was sold to I.W. Nance of nearby Conway. After Nance's purchase, the theatre was renamed The Grand Theatre. Two years later, in 1927, Arkansas Amusement Enterprises, Inc., a subsidiary of Malco Theatres, Inc., purchased the theatre and officially renamed it the Rialto Theatre. R.W. VanHook took over as manager in September 1928. During his tenure, the arrival of talking pictures, or "talkies," was initially delayed due to a lack of response in other Arkansas Amusement Enterprises theatres around the state. Late in 1929 it was officially announced that talkies would be coming to Morrilton. In preparation, the Rialto was remodeled and acoustically treated to accommodate the new technology. "Fast Life" was the first movie shown on February 16, 1930, marking the arrival of motion and talking pictures in Morrilton. In July 1952, M.S. McCord, who had previously served as vice president of Malco Theatres, purchased the Rialto for his new company, United Theatres Corporation. McCord had the theatre remodeled again, and the entire old structure was dismantled. The architects Brueggeman and Wanger of Little Rock oversaw this renovation — the third time they had remodeled the building over the previous 30 years. Over four months, new concrete walls, a concrete floor, a steel roof, and a steel structure were built. The theatre continued to operate as a cinema for decades. In later years it became the home of the Arts Council of Conway County and was rebranded as the Rialto Community Arts Center, shifting its focus to community arts programming, live theatre, film screenings, gallery exhibitions, and events. The organization is supported by donations and ticket sales, and its programming has included support for the Conway County Imagination Library, which provides free books to children from birth until age five.

• 2026

  The Rialto hosts "A Night of 9 to 5 & Dolly" on September 25 to benefit the Conway County Imagination Library.

• 1952

  M.S. McCord purchases the Rialto for United Theatres Corporation in July and has it remodeled.

• 1930

  "Fast Life" is the first movie shown on February 16, following remodeling and acoustic treatment for talkies.

• 1928

  R.W. VanHook takes over as manager in September.

• 1927

  Arkansas Amusement Enterprises, Inc., a subsidiary of Malco Theatres, Inc., purchases the theatre and renames it the Rialto Theatre.

• 1925

  The theatre is sold to I.W. Nance and renamed The Grand Theatre.

• 1911

  Guy O. Vail opens the first motion picture theatre in Morrilton, Arkansas, the future Rialto.

A historic, community-focused arts center and cinema serving Morrilton and Conway County, Arkansas.

• Film screenings

• Live theatre productions

• Gallery exhibitions

• Venue rentals

• Community events

1. 1Rialto Community Arts Center - Homerialtomorrilton.weebly.com
2. 2History - Rialto Community Arts Centerrialtomorrilton.weebly.com
3. 3About Us - Rialto Community Arts Centerrialtomorrilton.weebly.com
4. 4Rialto Community Arts Center - Wikidatawikidata.org