Rialto Theatre
is a great venue for public events
The
Rialto is a former Vaudeville movie palace built
during the "Golden Age" of movies.
Debuting on May 24, 1926, the Rialto was two years
in the making at an approximate
cost of one and a half million dollars. Originally
conceived as a Palace For The People
by the Rubens Brothers, the Rialto is now considered
one of the most beautiful
theatres in the nation. The building reflects
Italian Renaissance, Byzantine.
Roman, Greek, Rococo, Venetian and Baroque architecture.
The
Esplanade, or inner lobby, is designed after the
Hall of Mirrors in the Palace
of Versailles, France. The arch between the Esplanade
and the Rotunda area
has been carefully copied from the Arc de Triomphe
in Paris. The elegant
rotunda is surrounded by eighteen Corinthian-style
columns and surmounted by
a dome quite similar to the Pantheon in Rome.
There
are over one hundred crystal chandeliers and light
fixtures throughout the Rialto.
All are Czechoslovakian crystal. Steuben glass,
copper and bronze. Each piece
of crystal was crafted by the Victor S. Perlman
Company, in Chicago. The magnificent chandelier
in the center of the Rotunda is called "The Duchess".
It is one of the
largest crystal chandeliers in the United States.
It weighs over two and one half tons,
is nearly twenty-two feet long and has approximately
two hundred fifty lights.
The
Rialto serves Joliet and the greater Will County
area as a performing arts center
and hosts or presents nearly one hundred events
per year.
Tours are available to groups of 40 or more
on agreed upon date and time for $5 per person.
Call (815)726-7171 Ext. 210 to confirm tour dates
and times.
Individuals may tour the magnificent Rialto Square
Theatre every
Tuesday at 1:30PM for $5 per person.
Call (815)726-6600 to confirm tour time and date.
