Rialto Square Theatre
A historic theater and former movie palace in Joliet, Illinois, now presenting live entertainment and hosting public and private events.
Last updated August 24, 2026
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Overview
Rialto Square Theatre is a historic performing-arts venue in downtown Joliet, Illinois. It opened on May 24, 1926, as a vaudeville and motion-picture palace designed by Chicago theater architects C. W. and George L. Rapp in a Neo-Baroque style. Its original programming combined live vaudeville with silent films, supported by a large Barton theater organ whose pipework was installed in chambers on both sides of the stage. The building was conceived as an elaborate entertainment destination rather than a utilitarian cinema, and its interior remains defined by ornamental plasterwork, scagliola columns, marble surfaces, a domed rotunda, cherub figures, and a prominent Duchess chandelier. The venue adapted to technological and commercial changes in the theater business. It presented its first talking picture, Lights of New York, on October 9, 1928, and stereophonic sound was installed in 1953. As single-screen movie palaces became harder to sustain, the Rialto’s role as a film venue diminished. By the modern era, its principal function had shifted toward musicals, plays, concerts, stand-up comedy, organ performances, and special events. The theater can also be used for public and private functions, giving it a broader role in the civic and cultural life of Joliet. The building faced a significant preservation challenge in the 1970s. A local effort to save the theater began in 1972 under Dorothy Mavrich, with support from local businesspeople, students, civic participants, and public officials. The campaign eventually became associated with the Rialto Square Arts Association. Student volunteers from Joliet Township High School East Campus helped clean and repaint backstage areas and served as ushers for early events intended to build public support. A 51st-anniversary program in July 1977, including Hastings and Hays on Love and performances by local school choirs and swing groups, represented the theater’s restoration movement and the return of live stage activity. In 1978, the Rialto complex became public property, and the Joliet Metropolitan Exposition and Auditorium Authority was established to guide the restoration and management effort. Conrad Schmitt Studios undertook major restoration work around 1980, including work on the lobby and decorative marble and scagliola surfaces. The restored interiors, together with the building’s architecture and theater organ, form the core of the Rialto’s identity today. The organ has also been extensively restored and is featured in an annual spring organ extravaganza. Beyond its main performance program, the theater has supported community and educational activity. It formerly housed the Rialto School of the Arts, which offered visual-arts, choir, and drama opportunities for children, including camps and stage performances. Children’s theater workshops were also held in partnership with Our Town Productions. The venue has appeared in popular culture as the setting for the wedding reception of Christopher Knight and Adrianne Curry in the television series My Fair Brady. The American Institute of Architects has recognized the Rialto as one of 150 great places in Illinois. Its present positioning combines historic architecture, live entertainment, heritage preservation, community programming, and event rental.
History
Rialto Square Theatre was designed in 1924 by C. W. and George L. Rapp and opened in Joliet, Illinois, on May 24, 1926. It was built as a lavish vaudeville and movie palace, reflecting the period when theaters served simultaneously as venues for live variety acts, silent films, and social gathering. Its Neo-Baroque interior featured ornamental sculpture, elaborate plasterwork, marble and scagliola finishes, a domed rotunda, and a large chandelier. The building also incorporated a four-manual, 28-rank Barton theater organ. The organ’s pipes were placed in chambers flanking the stage, while its console was mounted on a movable platform that could be raised to stage level or lowered into the orchestra pit. The Rialto continued to adapt as film technology changed. On October 9, 1928, it presented Lights of New York, identified as the first talking picture shown there. Stereophonic sound was installed in 1953. Over the following decades, however, the traditional movie-palace business model weakened, and the building’s identity gradually moved away from regular cinema exhibition toward live performance and community use. Preservation became the central issue in the 1970s. Dorothy Mavrich began the Save the Rialto campaign in 1972 and worked with local businessman Christo Dragatsis, public officials, community supporters, and students. As the effort developed, it became associated with the Rialto Square Arts Association. Don Probst, a cadet leader at Joliet Township High School East Campus, helped organize student participation. Students assisted with cleaning and repainting dressing rooms and served as ushers for early shows. The 51st-anniversary celebration in July 1977 included Hastings and Hays on Love, featuring Don Hastings and Kathryn Hays, as well as performances by choirs and swing groups from Joliet’s East, Central, and West campuses. In 1978, the theater complex became public property. The Joliet Metropolitan Exposition and Auditorium Authority was then established to provide leadership for the property and its restoration. Conrad Schmitt Studios performed important restoration work around 1980. Later maintenance and conservation have preserved the ornate public spaces, including the lobby’s marble walls, black marble base, and colored scagliola. The restored Barton organ became a major heritage feature and is associated with an annual spring organ extravaganza. The Rialto’s contemporary program centers on musicals, plays, concerts, and stand-up comedy, while the building is also available for public and private functions. Its cultural role has included educational initiatives such as the former Rialto School of the Arts, which offered visual-arts, choir, and drama activities for children. Children’s theater workshops were also presented with Our Town Productions. The theater has additionally served as a filming and television location, including a wedding-reception scene involving Christopher Knight and Adrianne Curry in My Fair Brady. Its architectural and cultural significance has been recognized through inclusion among the American Institute of Architects’ 150 great places in Illinois. Today, the Rialto operates as a heritage performance venue whose value comes from the combination of historic design, live entertainment, community programming, and adaptive reuse.
- 1980
Restoration by Conrad Schmitt Studios
[1]Conrad Schmitt Studios carried out substantial restoration work on the theater’s interior finishes.
- 1978
Public ownership and new authority
[1]The complex became public property and the Joliet Metropolitan Exposition and Auditorium Authority was formed.
- 1977
51st-anniversary restoration program
[1]A July anniversary program helped celebrate restoration work and the return of live stage activity.
- 1972
Save the Rialto campaign
[1]Dorothy Mavrich launched a preservation campaign that developed into a broader civic effort.
- 1953
Stereophonic sound installed
[1]The theater installed stereophonic sound equipment.
- 1928
Sound-film transition
[1]Lights of New York became the first talking picture exhibited at the Rialto.
- 1926
Opening performance
[1]The theater opened on May 24 with The Evolution of Joliet.
- 1924
Design of the theater
[1]Architects C. W. and George L. Rapp designed the Rialto Square Theatre in a Neo-Baroque style.
Products and positioning
A landmark historic theater that combines restored 1920s movie-palace architecture with live performing arts, organ programming, civic events, and private functions.
Performing arts
Live theater
The Rialto presents musicals, plays, and other stage productions in a restored historic theater environment. Live theater represents the venue’s principal shift away from its original dependence on vaudeville and motion-picture exhibition.
Live music
Concerts
Concert programming uses the theater’s stage and auditorium for live music and related performances. The venue’s historic acoustical and architectural character provides a distinctive setting compared with contemporary multipurpose halls.
Organ performance · 1926
Barton theater organ
The original four-manual, 28-rank Barton theater organ was designed to accompany silent films and supply theatrical sound effects. After extensive restoration, it became a central heritage attraction and the focus of the theater’s annual spring organ extravaganza.
Comedy performance
Stand-up comedy
The Rialto’s current entertainment mix includes stand-up comedy alongside plays, musicals, and concerts, extending the venue’s appeal across multiple live-performance formats.
Venue hire
Event rentals
The theater is available for public and private functions. Its restored lobby, rotunda, auditorium, and stage allow it to serve as an event setting in addition to its scheduled performance role.
Marketing campaigns
- 1972Save the Rialto
Joliet, Illinois · United States
Dorothy Mavrich initiated a civic preservation campaign to protect the theater. The effort expanded through the Rialto Square Arts Association and gained support from local residents, students, businesspeople, and public officials.
Outcome. The campaign contributed to the theater’s preservation, public acquisition in 1978, and subsequent restoration.
Brand decisions
1978
Transition to public ownership and restoration governanceStrategyBackground
A preservation campaign had developed in response to the theater’s threatened condition and the decline of the traditional movie-palace model.
Action taken
The Rialto complex became public property, and the Joliet Metropolitan Exposition and Auditorium Authority was established to lead the restoration effort.
Aftermath
The ownership and governance change created an institutional basis for restoration and continued cultural use.
1928
Adoption of talking picturesGeneration changeBackground
The Rialto was originally designed for silent films and live vaudeville, but motion-picture technology was shifting toward synchronized sound.
Action taken
The theater presented Lights of New York, its first talking picture, on October 9, 1928.
Aftermath
The presentation marked the venue’s adaptation to the sound-film era before its later transition toward live performance.
Recent events
- 1980
Major restoration work is undertaken[1]
Other
Conrad Schmitt Studios carried out major restoration work, including treatment of the theater’s decorative marble and scagliola surfaces.
- 1978
Rialto complex becomes public property[1]
Other
The complex entered public ownership, while the Joliet Metropolitan Exposition and Auditorium Authority was established to support restoration and future administration.
- 1972
Save the Rialto preservation campaign begins[1]
Campaign
Dorothy Mavrich initiated a campaign to preserve the threatened theater, later organized through the Rialto Square Arts Association.
- 1928
First talking picture presented at the Rialto[1]
Product generation
Lights of New York became the first talking picture shown at the theater, marking its transition into the sound-film era.
- 1926
Rialto Square Theatre opens in Joliet[1]
Other
The theater opened on May 24 with The Evolution of Joliet, beginning its life as a vaudeville and movie palace.
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