Rialto Theatre
345-347 Gratiot Avenue,
Detroit,
MI
48226
345-347 Gratiot Avenue,
Detroit,
MI
48226
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This C. Howard Crane-designed theater opened in 1917, and featured an early form of stadium-style seating, with a steeply sloping auditorium floor. Therefore, there was no need for a balcony and it could seat around 1,350. The Rialto Theatre’s exterior was very similar to his Capitol Theatre (now the Detroit Opera House), which was built in 1922. A new marquee was installed in 1941.
The Rialto Theatre closed in 1968, and has since been demolished.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
The Rialto’s address was 6345-6347 Gratiot Avenue.
Craig Morrison
A Hillgreen-Lane theater organ opus 446 size 2/22 was installed in the Rialto Theater in 1916 at a cost of $1,400.
The organ that was played by Mary Belle Shelby was given to her when the theatre closed. It is a Thompson Organ, cherrywood and beautifully carved. My brother used to cut grass for Mrs. Shelby and before she moved to Arizona, she bestowed him the organ. The organ sits in my mother’s foyer and is beautiful condition, but in need of repair of the ballows.
When the Rialto Theatre opened it was owned by J.C. Ritter, in 1935 Co-Op Theatre of Michigan took over operations until it closed in 1955.