Rialto Theater (Casper, Wyoming)

The Rialto Theater in Casper, Wyoming was built as the New Lyric Theater[2] in 1921. It was constructed with 800 seats by Henry Brennan who had a successful Vaudeville house, on which he based the new cinema.[3] He almost immediately sold the building in 1922 to new owner E.J. Schulte who invested $50,000 in a remodeling project designed by Casper architects William Dubois and Leon Goodrich. The reopening in 1922 featured the William C. deMille movie Nice People, a silent film that was accompanied by the Chicago Netto Ladies Orchestra. In 1928 the Rialto began to show talkies.[2]

Rialto Theater
The building in 2017
Location102 East Second Street, Casper, Wyoming
Coordinates42°50′56″N 106°19′29.9″W
Built1921
ArchitectDubois & Goodrich
Architectural styleChicago, Commercial Style
NRHP reference No.93000037[1]
Added to NRHPFebruary 11, 1993

The Rialto measures 50 feet (15 m) by 100 feet (30 m) on a prominent corner site. The brick facade is plain in form but the brickwork is extensively detailed. A tall neon sign marks the corner, replacing the original metal sign and a marquee was added, covering the original leaded glass transoms over the storefronts. A tall parapet adds to the apparent mass of the theater. Storefronts on both frontages house retail shops. On the interior a balcony is reached by two curving stairs on either side of the lobby, replacing a single grand stair from the first design.[2]

The Rialto continues to operate as a cinema. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.[1]

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Starr, Eileen; Cassity, Michael (December 1992). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Rialto Theater". National Park Service. Retrieved 2009-08-06.
  3. "Rialto Thater". Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved 2009-08-06.

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