The Rialto’s Last Year, 1968

The Rialto had had a number of owners through the years. It was purchased by the Schine Theatrical company in 1937 for $250,000. By August of 1961, it became the property of the Panther Theatre Corporation. Like many theaters of this era, it struggled with competition from advances in technology such as the television. It also had to combat a population that had slowly migrated further from the city center. Despite efforts to keep it open, the doors finally closed in 1968. In 1969, it was demolished.

Courtesy Crandall Public Library Folklife Center