The Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center or The Rose, also known as the Astro Theatre, originally opened as The Riviera. It is located in

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the List of cities in Nebraska, most populous city in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is located in the Midwestern United States along the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's List of United S ...

Nebraska Nebraska ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Ka ...

. Built in 1926 in a combination of both Moorish and Classical styles, the building was rehabilitated in 1986.

History

John Eberson John Adolph Emil Eberson (January 2, 1875 – March 5, 1954) was an Austrian-American architect best known for the development and promotion of movie palace designs in the atmospheric theatre style. He designed over 500 theatres in his lifetime, e ...

, a nationally notable architect, designed the theater in 1926 as an example of the "atmospheric" theater popular during the 1920s. In a style created by Eberson, these atmospheric theaters simulated romantic outdoor Mediterranean courtyards with a night sky above, including twinkling stars and drifting clouds. The exterior of the building features a large copper domed tower, flanked by two smaller towers of similar detailing. The diamond-patterned brick facades contain oriel windows, elaborate cornices, glazed terra-cotta tile copings, and a series of free-standing columns which support griffins. The theater was built by A. H. Blank. Noted for lavish stage shows combined with movies, the theater was regarded as one of the most elegant entertainment facilities in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

and had 2,776 seats. After opening March 26, 1927, someone commented that the Riviera Theatre "makes every man feel like a millionaire for 60 cents". A parade featuring the 17th Infantry Regiment was held to celebrate its opening. In 1929, unable to meet the $13,000 weekly costs and experiencing financial losses, Blank sold it to

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

and the theater was renamed the Paramount. It had multiple closures including in 1934, 1937, 1938, 1940, 1941 and 1942. Paramount installed a minitiature golf course in the lower lobby to attract customers. In June 1952 it stopped showing films but the theater productions during the winter were not that successful and it closed again. In August 1953 its owner, Tristates, decided to sell or demolish it. In 1957, Paramount vacated the lease to

Creighton University Creighton University () is a private research university in Omaha, Nebraska, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate ...

. Closed for several years, it was later leased to J.S.B. Amusement, and after renovations, was operated as a bowling alley. After only a year of operation, the building once again was remodeled to return it to a theater. It reopened as a movie theater in 1962 with a new name, the Astro Theatre, run by Dubinsky Brothers and with a reduced capacity of 1,465. It continued operations until June 1980. In 1974 it was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

and in October 1980 it was listed as an

Omaha landmark This article covers Omaha landmarks designated by the City of Omaha Landmark Heritage Preservation Commission. In addition, it includes structures or buildings listed on the National Register of Historic Places and those few designated as Natio ...

. Closed and once again facing possible demolition, the Astro Theatre was sold by Creighton University to

Rose Blumkin Rose Blumkin (''née'' Gorelick; December 3, 1893 – August 9, 1998) was an American businesswoman who founded the Nebraska Furniture Mart in 1937. Businessman Warren Buffett said of her, "One question I always ask myself in appraising a busine ...

of the

Nebraska Furniture Mart NFM (Nebraska Furniture Mart until 2019) is a home furnishing store in North America that sells furniture, flooring, appliances, and electronics. It is the largest of its kind in North America. NFM was founded in 1937 by Belarus-born Rose Blumk ...

on June 24, 1981. In the early 1990s it was renovated and transformed into the Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center;"Our Story Mrs. B."
Nebraska Furniture Mart. Retrieved 12/2/07. it became the home of the Omaha Theater Company, which began performing there in 1995."The History of Our Company".

The Rose Performing Arts.
Retrieved 2015-08-05.
Archived 2015-03-30
at Wayback Machine.

References

External links

Historic Photo of The Riveria's Interior

Alternate Historic Photo of The Riveria's Interior

Postcard of The Riviera Theatre

Historic Photo of The Rivera Theatre

Riviera Theatre Grand Opening Advertisement

Historic Photo of The Paramount Theatre

Paramount Theatre Advertisement

Astro Theatre Advertisement
{{Movie theaters in Omaha, Nebraska National Register of Historic Places in Omaha, Nebraska Omaha landmarks Theatres completed in 1926 Theatres in Omaha, Nebraska Cinemas and movie theaters in Omaha, Nebraska Former cinemas in the United States History of Downtown Omaha, Nebraska Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska 1926 establishments in Nebraska John Eberson buildings Atmospheric theatres

History

See also

References

External links