Rialto Theatre (South Pasadena, California)

The Rialto Theatre is a 1,200-seat theater in South Pasadena, California. Located on Fair Oaks Avenue, it is considered one of the last single-screen theaters in Southern California and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.[3]

Rialto Theatre

Address	1019-1023 Fair Oaks Ave. South Pasadena, California
Coordinates	34.1140°N 118.1508°W
Owner	Izek Shomof
Capacity	1200
Construction
Architect	Lewis A. Smith
General contractor	William G. Reed
Rialto Theatre
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Built	1925
Architect	Lewis A. Smith
Architectural style	Moorish Revival[1]
NRHP reference No.	78000700[2]
Added to NRHP	May 24, 1978

History

The Rialto was built in 1925 by Lewis A. Smith, who was also architect for the Vista Theater on Sunset Boulevard.[4] The Rialto's architectural style was described in The Los Angeles Times as "an odd mashup of Spanish Baroque and Egyptian kitsch."[3] The theater has an orchestra pit and its original design featured balcony seating along both sides of a deep stage.[5] The interior has several original murals and a drinking fountain made of Batchelder tile.[3]

The Rialto was operated by Landmark Theatres until it closed in 2007. The Simpsons Movie was the last movie shown in the theater, and 200 people attended the final screening. The building was closed to the public in 2010, after part of the facade fell onto the sidewalk.[3] There have been two fires in the building, and it survived an attempt in 1977 to turn it into a parking lot.[5]

Izek Shomof, a developer of older buildings in downtown Los Angeles, purchased the Rialto in December 2014 for an undisclosed price. Shomof indicated he will turn the property into an entertainment venue that will include a bar and possibly a theater to screen old movies.[3]

In 2016 the Rialto was featured as a location in key scenes of the hit movie musical La La Land.[6]

Since 2017, the theater has served as one of six campuses for Mosaic, a non-denominational multi-site church based in Los Angeles.[7]

Also used as a filming location in Scream 2 (1997)

References

1. Robert F. Shryock (November 17, 1977). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Rialto Theatre". National Park Service. and accompanying 15 photos
2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
3. Shyong, Frank (9 January 2015). "South Pasadena's historic Rialto Theatre sold to downtown developer". The Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 11 January 2015.
4. "Architects: Smith, Lewis" Pacific Coast Architecture Database Retrieved 13 January 2015
5. Shyong, Frank (5 July 2014). "Will South Pasadena's Rialto theater rise again?". Retrieved 11 January 2015.
6. http://www.travelandleisure.com/culture-design/tv-movies/la-la-land-movie-locations-to-visit#intro
7. Chiland, Elijah (2017-04-27). "South Pasadena's Rialto Theatre will reportedly become a church". Curbed LA. Retrieved 2019-07-29.