The Rialto Theatre is a 1,200-seat theater in

South Pasadena, California South Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 25,619, up from 24,292 at the 2000 census. It is located in the West San Gabriel Valley. It is 3.42 square miles in area ...

. Located on Fair Oaks Avenue, it is considered one of the last single-screen theaters in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most po ...

and is listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...

History

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

Landmark Theatres Landmark Theatres is a movie theatre chain in the United States. It was formerly dedicated to exhibiting and marketing independent and foreign films. Since its founding in 1974, Landmark has grown to 35 theaters with 178 screens in 24 mar ...

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. There have been two fires in the building, and it survived an attempt in 1977 to turn it into a parking lot. Izek Shomof, a developer of older buildings in

downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) contains the central business district of Los Angeles. In addition, it contains a diverse residential area of some 85,000 people, and covers . A 2013 study found that the district is home to over 500,000 jobs. It is ...

, purchased the Rialto in December 2014. Shomof indicated he will turn the property into an entertainment venue that will include a bar and possibly a theater to screen old movies. Since 2017, the theater has served as one of six campuses for

Mosaic A mosaic is a pattern or image made of small regular or irregular pieces of colored stone, glass or ceramic, held in place by plaster/mortar, and covering a surface. Mosaics are often used as floor and wall decoration, and were particularly pop ...

, a non-denominational multi-site church based in

Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...

In popular culture

In 1983's Michael Jackson's Thriller, the scene where Michael and Ola Ray watch a film was shot there. In 2016 the Rialto was featured as a location in key scenes of the hit movie musical ''

La La Land ''La La Land'' is a 2016 American romantic musical comedy-drama film written and directed by Damien Chazelle. It stars Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone as a struggling jazz pianist and an aspiring actress, respectively, who meet and fall in love ...

''. It was also used as a filming location in The Rocketeer (1991), The Player (1992) and

Scream 2 ''Scream 2'' is a 1997 American slasher film directed by Wes Craven and written by Kevin Williamson. It stars Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Sarah Michelle Gellar, Jamie Kennedy, Laurie Metcalf, Jerry O'Connell, Elise Neal, Tim ...

(1997).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rialto Theatre Movie palaces Cinemas and movie theaters in Los Angeles County, California Cinema of Southern California Theatres completed in 1925 1925 establishments in California Baroque Revival architecture in the United States Buildings and structures on the National Register of Historic Places in Los Angeles County, California Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in California