The Historic Bessesen Building, formerly called the B.B. Theater and Conservatory of Music and later the Rivoli Theater, is located at 224 South Broadway in

Albert Lea Albert Lea may refer to: *Albert Lea, Minnesota, U.S. *Albert Lea Township, Freeborn County, Minnesota Albert Lea Township ( ) is a township in Freeborn County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 808 at the 2000 census. Myre-Big Islan ...

Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...

, United States. It has been used for both commercial and residential purposes. The Bessesen Opera House was built in 1916, designed by St. Paul architects Cederberg and Van Kirk. The façade is

French Renaissance The French Renaissance was the cultural and artistic movement in France between the 15th and early 17th centuries. The period is associated with the pan-European Renaissance, a word first used by the French historian Jules Michelet to define ...

. The interiors of the second and third floor apartments possess both

Arts and Crafts The Arts and Crafts movement was an international trend in the Decorative arts, decorative and fine arts that developed earliest and most fully in the British Isles and subsequently spread across the British Empire and to the rest of Europe and ...

style and

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

elements including terra cotta fireplaces, art glass skylight, and stained glass windows. The building was designed as a 740-seat opera palace to showcase the talents of internationally acclaimed opera

prima donna In opera or ''commedia dell'arte'', a prima donna (; Italian for 'first lady'; : ''prime donne'') is the leading female singer in the company, the person to whom the ''prime'' roles would be given. ''Prime donne'' often had grand off-stage pe ...

Beatrice Gjertsen Bessesen. After its debut as an opera palace, it became The Rivoli motion picture theater from 1922 to 1975 and the Rivoli Mini-Mall in 1977. It is currently being converted into a regional arts and wellness center and is the home of the Freeborn County Arts Initiative. Historical aspects of the first level have been compromised. The building is currently in need of major restoration. The "Restore the Building Foundation" has been created for that purpose.

References

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External links

Restore the Building Foundation
Art Nouveau architecture in Minnesota Art Nouveau theatres Buildings and structures in Freeborn County, Minnesota Former theatres in the United States Historic district contributing properties in Minnesota National Register of Historic Places in Freeborn County, Minnesota Theatres completed in 1916 Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Minnesota