Rialto Theatre, Historic movie theater in Tucson, United States
The Rialto Theatre is a cinema-turned-concert venue on Congress Street in downtown Tucson, across from the Hotel Congress. It was built in the same year and by the same contractors as that hotel, and its interior keeps some original historic features with an Art Nouveau motif. The 2005 renovation focused on improving the hall's acoustics.
The Rialto Theatre was built by William Curlett & Son alongside the neighbouring Hotel Congress and opened in 1920, one of Tucson's first movie theatres, showing silent films and vaudeville; its first full-length film was 'The Toll Gate'. Paramount-Publix bought it in 1929, revamped it with new seating and evaporative cooling, and around 1947 renamed it The Paramount. It closed in 1963, served as furniture storage, reopened in 1971 as El Cine Plaza, and after a 1984 boiler explosion was condemned until reopening as a concert venue in 1995. The theatre and Rialto Building were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.
The Rialto opened in 1920 as one of Tucson's first movie theaters, showing silent films and hosting vaudeville shows; its first full-length film was 'The Toll Gate'. Renamed The Paramount around 1947, it later became El Cine Plaza, a Spanish-language cinema. Since 1995 it has operated as a concert venue under its original name, hosting over 700 shows.
The Rialto sits on Congress Street across from Club Congress, with the Fox Theatre a few blocks west. It holds about 150 events a year for more than 100,000 patrons, mixing concerts with dance, performance and occasional film screenings. The 2005 renovation focused on improving the hall's acoustics.
The Rialto kept a swamp cooler, not modern air conditioning, until the early 21st century; the 2005 renovation replaced it and made acoustics a priority. In 1978 an offended local woman burned the balcony stairs and was never caught.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,762 contributors worldwide.
