Rialto Theatre
1023 Fair Oaks Avenue,
South Pasadena,
CA
91030
1023 Fair Oaks Avenue,
South Pasadena,
CA
91030
37 people
favorited this theater
Showing 101 - 125 of 247 comments
Well something has to be done with the Rilato – and fast. It’s been shut now for over 2 months and, with the exception of a Zion Baptist Church holding services there, nothing is going on. I think Landmark still has many years left on the lease and are looking to make any money on renting it out for filming or commercials or sweet sixteen parties – basically rent to anyone that can pony up the fee they are asking. I know it’s not all Landmark’s fault, that the lack of interest in single screen theaters and the push in home theaters and high definition DVD has changed everything (for the worst), but Landmark could have done something. So, I have boycotted any Landmark theater and if their new theater “The LANDMARK” is any indication of where they are going, so much the better. That place has about as much warmth as a mortuary. The NuWilshire will close in the next week and I never liked what they did to the NUART when they renovated and got rid of the old box office. The owners of the building the Rilato also bear some responsibility and seem to go along with this so long as they get their rent. For a historic building that is so very closely identified with South Pasadena – hell IT IS South Pasadena – I am disgusted by the city’s lack of involvement so far. Maybe a bunch of us should show up at the next City Council meeting and raise the question, huh? South Pasadena prides itself on it’s abundance of well preserved craftman homes, why can’t they step up and restore the Rialto? Too busy fighting the 710 extension? I’ll get off my soapbox now.
Many movie and theatre people count themselves as long time residents in South Pas, something should be done in the way of turning it into a multi-purpose.
I remember years ago Landmark wanted to triplex the Rialto and restore the main auditorium and twin the balcony which could have been reversed later like they did with the Mayan in Denver.Landmark wasn’t allowed to do this so they just let the theatre slowly decline. With a few exceptions single movie screens are not a viable operation due to the explosion of the megaplex which has between 14 to 30 screens.I think the city of South Pasadena should restore this theatre and use it as a multipurpose facility which should inlcude film.I feel the citizens of South Pasadena would love to see this landmark theatre in there city restored.brucec
I dont mind reading the post 5 times….its a good post. You care about the world you live in. I guess everyone here does. Care about the quality of life. Look at Boston or San Fran….for there are layers of history, architecture, life there ….we have huge gaps in Los Angeles , mostly from our own early boom-town exhuberance, but also from letting developers go Buck-Wild periodically. Got to save everything we still have left. I remember about 15 years ago, a friend and I self-published a mag( staples, Xerox, Chattertons)named Smogtown, and in it I had a section called, RIP, and it was photos and a small byline on some historical or architecturally significant building that had just been demolished. The saddest thing, aside from theatres, was the old Cetral Didtribution Warehouse, a beautiful Castle like structure,complete with tiled turret( very similar to Hllywood First National on Highland), and for a year we rented rehearsal space in there. About ten stories tall. Would have made great apartments, but the structure was in Vernon city limits, so there was no chance for it to be saved However, in Los Angeles there are several legal ways to protect these significant and historic structures and movie houses, but hey, I guess I’m just preaching to the choir.
Thought I would spread the word to the people who might be reading about their favorite single screeners. The news item had been regarding the meeting was posted on the 26th and had been pushed down the page, so not all might be reading that item, although I did make a comment there. Apologies to the who had to read my post 5 times.
Mark, calm down.
you don’t have to post your comment on every LA theater page.
You didn’t post this comment in the above full form at the ONE and only page you would need to, to make your point- at the homepage news.
In light of what is happening with the National, the Rialto and other single-screeners, I was a bit disappointed that the Cinematreasures are holding their meeting to discuss theatre preservation etc. at the brand-spanking-new Landmark 12!!! Less than 2 miles away from Westwood Village, the densest grouping of open single screeners in the country. Are they serious? Are they serious about preservation?
I expressed my disappointment here:
http://cinematreasures.org/news/17409_0_1_0_C/
Feel free to express your feelings as well.
I know years ago, around ‘84-88, they let garage bands play there on Sunday nights, until some San Marino High fellows got into it with some South Pas kids and busted up the cut-glass doors out front. I played harmonica there with a band one night, some Smokestack Lighting.. Nice natural acoustics inside….most of these wood and plaster places have a nice warm sound. Another stumbling block are the high property taxes in L.A. County.
What an extraorinary venue this could be if it brought back up to speed.
I agree with the comments above, also, that the days of the Rilato’s single screen as a first or second run movie theater are over. I started seeing films there when it was a “revival” theater in the 70’s. Hard to belive that there were almost 20 of these types of theaters offering diverse cinema programming before home video killed them all. Yet, the future of the Rialto lies in it becoming a community/multi-use theater and I agree with all the ideas above for it’s potential use. It would require a tremendous infusion of cash to get the theater and the adjoining space (now occupied by an empty cafe and neglected trading card store) and could be developed in something similar to Arclight where you could enjoy varied programming such as a play, High School graduation, concert, speakers, etc and have a meal or a drink afterward in a cafe/resturant. But I suppose the current owners of the buliding would have to sell or take part in such a venture. Anybody know who owns the Rilato? Of course I may have to move out of South Pasadena before I see anything happen if the bloody rents keep going up.
howard is absolutely right. it needs to be a mix of unique live events and special film screenings. it should be restored physically and cleaned while leaving historic details intact—save a few of the old seats for a lobby display too!!
programming wise, they could offer evening music programs on the weekends and also perhaps dinner by partnering with one of the many great south pasadena restaurants for events— a less hipster but still cool mature version of cinespace, a place to take a date— philosophically, it could still remain an alternative to the mainstream. tickets could be up to $15 for admission on these evenings plus the prices for the prix fixe dinner. for the daytime during the week and maybe on sundays, what about screening classic films oriented towards kids? there are plenty of young families in and around south pasadena, and no theatres doing mommy and me screenings during the daytime that i know of….they could partner with kidspace children’s museum and maybe generate donors as a non profit film series…. to do both of these things and grow the theatre’s potential, all the city of south pasadena will need to do is advocate for the theatre by negotiating adjacent parking from businesses. these businesses, particularly along mission street, will be delighted that the theatre is not a too-far walk from the gold line either! (10 blocks)
the theatre needs is some physical rehabilitation, an innovative programming consultant, and some good grassroots marketing that considers place, that’s all!
I meant nail.
Howard has hit the nal on it cabeza….mix use is the only way to in this day and age.
The days of the Rialto Theatre as a regular operating movie theatre are pretty much over. Landmark Theatres held on to it and operated it for as long as they could. Their NuWilshire Theatre in Santa Monica is the next theatre to close soon. Single screen theatres can no longer make a profit for most chains to deal with. That’s why the Rialto looked like that. They cut costs in maintaining it and only put alittle back in to it. (the new sound system) As Howard said above a mix live events usage with film. But with all the over building of these plexes are making those single screens die sooner.
And, if lacks a big enough stagehouse, maybe there’s room to expand it.
There’s little chance, given the existing arthouses, of the Rialto once again being a daily cinema- certainly not in its original beautiful SINGLE auditorium splendor.
Need mix live events in with a film series.
Maybe American Cinemateque can buy it? Sure would beat driving out to Santa Monica or even the Egyptian. Still needs a complete restoration/fixing though, especially new AC.
The place is still haunted, BTW, as is the Olympic Auditorium.
I sure hope that the city of South Pasadena intervenes and takes some responsibility in finding an investor for the theater. The theater could benifit from a private party taking over the lease or buying the building outright and restoring it similar to the Orpheum and Los Angeles theaters in Los Angeles – and maybe the Los Angeles Conservancy can get involved too. The Rialto is very much an icon in South Pasadena and can be used for many things, but the city needs to get involved. Save this historic theater.
Visiting South Pasadena last week, I was surprised to see the Rialto closed, and have been catching up with events by reading all these postings.
I was last there July 22nd for South Pasadena’s “Clean Air Car Show and Film Festival”, and lots of people were at the (free) showings of the screened documentaries.
Who’d have thought that less than a month later it would be closed down :(
The Rialto’s marquee now reads (in addition to the “available for filming or parties” notice):
Zion Baptist Church
Sunday Worship 8am
Not sure if it’s a one-time only or regular weekly worship; but I guess that could be a way to see the interior again if you’re interested… go to church!
They are renting the theater for private parties and screenings. The rental number is currently on the marquee. My foot hurts.
Most of the times with vertical sign at old theatres they just don’t maintain them, be cause of the cost of neon work. Over at Pacific’s Hollywood Pacific Theatre they stopped lighting the radio towers in the last years of operation because of the cost. It was costing around $10,000 a year to maintain it.
Actually, the 710 would miss the Rialto, but would destroy a great many other buildings. My Parents moved out of the freeways path when I was 5 when we moved. The house is still standing!
From a post of July 24, 2018:
I remember the old Rialto Theater. It closed in 2007 and has now been obliterated by the 710 freeway extension completed a few years ago. South Pas was a nice little town but the bifurcation by the freeway has pretty much destroyed any character it once had.
I wonder when the blade marquee burned out or was it just not turned on to save electricty.
I really enjoyed reading the name origins posted by Joe.