Rio Theater
North Oneida Street,
Appleton,
WI
54911
North Oneida Street,
Appleton,
WI
54911
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The theatre opened with 2,000 seats (700 of which were in the balcony) as the FOX on November 16, 1929, and was designed in Moorish style by the architects of United Studios of Chicago, the same firm which designed the KENOSHA, the Racine VENETIAN and the SHEBOYGAN. Two of the architects who worked for United were Ralph Beaudry and Fred Jacobs. United’s manager/director was L. P. Larsen.
Sorry, I meant to put this on the Appleton page.
There was an article in the Appleton Post-Crescent in April 1968 that discussed “Blackbeard’s Ghost” showing at the Appleton. This was a Peter Ustinov film. I have a very vague memory of seeing this film in New Jersey, but I would have been around six at the time. It was one of the few times that all six of us in the family went to a movie together. I would never have been able to date the film without help.
Bing Maps has a bird’s-eye view showing that the two blocks either side of Oneida Street between College Avenue and Washington Street have been consumed by one of those enclosed downtown shopping malls that became so popular for a while. It’s called City Center Plaza, which is a bit ironic considering that they apparently gutted a big chunk of the center of the city to build it. Part of the multi-level garage on the north side of the project must occupy the site of the Rio.
Use the address 2 E. College Ave., Appleton, WI at Bing Maps and select bird’s eye view to see what became of the 100 block of N. Oneida Street.
The diamond-patterned tapestry brick and the arches on the facade of the Rio reveal the architectural style to be Venetian. Most likely the interior was also Venetian. The name Rio in the dialect of Venice is the singular of rii, the local term for the side canals leading off the Grand Canal.
I’ve been unable to discover the name of the architect of this splendid theater, but reports in the trade papers of the time indicate that it was built for Fox Theatres. Movie Age of January 12, 1929, said that plans had been approved for a 2000-seat theater to be built at Appleton by Fox-Midwesco, and it would be completed by September that year. This was probably the Rio.
Information about the surviving Wurlitzer organ from the Rio can be found on this web page.
I was just saying the Rio was between College and Washington St, in the 100 block, and you did not agree. You are saying it’s in the 200 block. That’s all…
But you are right, Oneida and N. Oneida at one point are 2 different streets. They actually merge together.
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And it changes from one to the other completely as it goes North a few blocks to Wisconsin Ave. You’re right, very odd it would do that.
119 Oneida
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119 Oneida
100 E. Washington
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The address no matter how it maps was found on more than one site and the Film Daily to be 119 N. Oneida. N. Oneida will not map unless you drop the N. That is all I have been trying to say. Why make such a big deal out of it.
The Greyhound is listed at 100 E. Washington, not 100 N. Oneida. They are 2 different streets completely. All links online point to an address of 100 E. Greyhound.
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If you look at this photo again, you can see where the 100 block used to be. The photo was taken from College Ave.
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Not going to argue with you. If the Greyhound is in the one hundred block and is across from the parking lot for the Library then it would make since that the theatre was where the parking lot is now. But assume what you want. Two different references stated the address for the Rio Theatre was 119 N. Oneida
Makes no sense on the library parking lot since the library is at 225. N. Oneida, the parking lot is in the same 200 block (between Washington and E,. Franklin St.)
If the theater was indeed at 119, that would put it in between E. College and Washington. Greyhound is listed at 100 E. Washington.
The Rio theatre opened in 1929.
LM, your address is correct, the theatre once stood where the parking lot for the Library is now. If you take the N. off the address it maps properly. The Greyhound Bus station is across from where the theatre once stood at 119 N. Oneida. For some reason google don’t pick the street up as N. Oneida until it gets to W. Wisconsin Ave. just Oneida.
Address:
119 N. Oneida
Appleton, WI. 54911
Okay, so maybe the Film Daily is right after all.
Well, if you look at my picture, and the Google map provided with the link, the 100 block of Oneida doesn’t exist any longer…. It did at one time.
The Film Daily gives the address as 119 North Oneida Street which could be wrong since Google won’t map that address.
From the first Rio photo link above, here is the same view now..
Oneida St. N from College Ave.
Looks like the parking garage (hidden from view) is the site. And the building on the right hand corner is still there….
Kind of hard to tell exactly from one of the pictures posted above, but methinks that the site of the Rio is now occuped either by the Appleton Public Library or parking ramp across the street from it.
This organ will be located in the auditorium known as Greek Hall in Macy’s.
The Wurlitzer organ that was originally used in the Rio is now being installed in Macy’s (formerly the Wanamaker Store) in Philadelphia.
Here is a close up photo of the Rio Theater.
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Here is a photo of the Rio Theater.
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Burglary in 1937:
Burglars Obtain Sack of Pennies In Theater Raid
Appleton, WI – About $15 in pennies was stolen in a burglary of the Rio Theater early Monday morning, police revealed today. One or more persons hid in the theater after the last show Sunday night, police believe. After employees left the building, the burglars drilled and opened an old safe but found nothing there. It was believed early Monday morning that nothing of value was taken but when Stanley Gross, theater manager, returned Monday evening he discovered that a sack of pennies was missing, police said.