Built 1921 NRHP Reference # 93000037 Phone +1 307-266-3647 | Architect Dubois & Goodrich Opened 1921 Added to NRHP 11 February 1993 | |
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Location 102 E. Second St., Casper, Wyoming Architectural style Chicago, Commercial Style Address 100 E 2nd St, Casper, WY 82601, USA Similar Masonic Temple, Townsend Hotel, North Casper Clubhouse, Elks Lodge No 1353, Fort Caspar | ||
The Rialto Theater in Casper, Wyoming was built as the New Lyric Theater in 1921. It was constructed with 800 seats by Henry Brennan who had a successful Vaudeville house, on which he based the new cinema. He almost immediately sold the building in 1922 to new owners who invested $50,000 in a remodeling project designed by Casper architects William Dubois and Leon Goodrich. The reopening in 1922 featured the William C. deMille movie Nice People, a silent film that was accompanied by the Chicago Netto Ladies Orchestra. In 1928 the Rialto began to show talkies.
The Riato measures 50 feet (15 m) by 100 feet (30 m) on a prominent corner site. The brick facade is plain in form but the brickwork is extensively detailed. A tall neon sign marks the corner, replacing the original metal sign and a marquee was added, covering the original leaded glass transoms over the storefronts. A tall parapet adds to the apparent mass of the theater. Storefronts on both frontages house retail shops. On the interior a balcony is reached by two curving stairs on either side of the lobby, replacing a single grand stair from the first design.
The Rialto continues to operate as a cinema. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1993.