Rialto Theatre

The Owl Theatre opened in 1911 and during its run operator Samuel Orbach signed a contract with Paramount Pictures. By decade’s end, the Owl struggled and Orbach blamed Paramount for not getting the films to Lowell in a timely manner. The Owl closed and Orbach sued Paramount in Orbacj v. Paramount in which Orbach was found correct but couldn’t get the damages he sought. So new owners come in and change the theatre to the Rialto.

i have pictures of the front of the building but have never seen the back of the building that was torn down, does anyone have pics.

When I was a boy in Lowell many years ago, Strand, Rialto and Keith’s were visited often. My father had worked in many of these theaters and also in Lawrence and further as decorator of the lobbies before litho posters were sent around with the films. I projected/tape recorded for Wilson Gill of Washingon D.C. years ago (his father was first theater projectionist in Wash D.C., and he, himself, at one time had been senior sound projectionist for Warner Bros. in Hollywood). I did 16MM arc projection at most major hotels in the capitol, and later, with this experience, was theater projectionist in Chatham on the Cape in early 70s. Had all the equipment from the thirties: Strong Arc, Altec Lansing tube sound (still the most reliable), and RCA-Brenkert heads. Rob Palmer

Thanks Ron Salters, for that great facade shot of the Rialto(where I spent my early childhood film years) under magnification it’s clear that a stepladder has been placed by the marquee to either relamp under canopy lights or to freshen the current film titles which they were showing. Also there seem to be two workers standing next to the ladder.Many happy days spent here in the early 1950’s!

I’ve added a few photos here
http://www.pbase.com/jroy/low_rialto

The National Park people are hoping for a combination of retail (1st floor) and office space (upstairs). What remains of the Rialto is the head house (entrance only). The theatre itself was located in what was the train shed (i. e. the place where passenger trains were parked to load and unload passengers), which has been torn down. The Rialto was always a second-run, second-class theatre.

The front building of the Rialto used to be the former Boston and Maine Railroad Station. It is currently undergoing renovations. I’ll post photos of it soon.

Merry Christmas to hank and all of the CT family.

Here is an article from the Lowell Sun dated 11/5/55:

An investigation by the state fire marshal’s office was ordered today into the general alarm fire which swept through Cantor’s Garage on George street, at Towers' corner area early this morning and completely destroyed two dozen trucks, a number of cars and much merchandise at a loss approximating §300,000. The spectacular blaze which was discovered at l:30 this morning kept every available Lowell fireman battling for two hours, with aid being summoned from four Greater Lowell towns to provide stand-by protection to the city.

The block-long building, which extends from George Street to Central street, with Green and Williams streets on either side, is sub-divided by thick, brick fire walls which were greatly responsible
for preventing much greater property damage, including the gutting of the Rialto theater and the Bissonette showroom with three new model cars on the Central street end.

It was the presence of a fire wall which did extend above the roof that saved the Rialto theater. The theater boiler room in the back of the stage was flooded by water to a depth of several feet and the heating plant was killed. The water also penetrated behind the theater stage and firemen today are pumping out the building.

In recent years there have been short reports about the “Rialto Building” in the newsletter of the Boston & Maine Railroad Historical Society. The railroad station was built in 1876 and was the terminus of a branchline which came into Lowell from the southeast, from Salem. Later, when the station was closed, the theatre was constructed where the tracks and platforms had been, with its entrance through the old station “head-house” on Central Street. The head-house was renovated and its facade changed. Now that the Rialto Theatre is gone, the head-house has been restored to its original 1876 appearance and is now a commercial structure. The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Rialto has an indistinct photo taken in 1941 which shows that the entrance was in the middle of the block. The Report states that the Rialto has been showing MGM product for 12 years, that it’s over 20 years old, is in Fair condition, and has about 1000 seats, apparently all on one floor. Am I correct in understanding that this building is the last remaining remnant of all the theatres which once stood in Lowell? (not counting the Lowell Memorial Aud.)

Is what remains of this building used for anything, or is it sitting vacant?