The Rialto Square Theatre - Joliet, IL - Neon Signs on Waymarking.com

Making our way east-bound on Route 66 through Joliet, IL, we came across this gem of a theatre. The Jewel of Joliet as it's known, the Rialto Square Theatre is a former Vaudeville movie palace built during the "Golden Age" of movies.

Debuting on May 24, 1926, the Rialto was two years in the making at an approximate cost of one and a half million dollars. Originally conceived as a Palace For The People by the Rubens Brothers, the Rialto is now considered one of the most beautiful theatres in the nation. The building reflects Italian Renaissance, Byzantine,
Roman, Greek, Rococo, Venetian and Baroque architecture.

The Esplanade, or inner lobby, is designed after the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles, France. The arch between the Esplanade and the Rotunda area has been carefully copied from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. The elegant rotunda is surrounded by eighteen Corinthian-style columns and surmounted by a dome quite similar to the Pantheon in Rome.

There are over one hundred crystal chandeliers and light fixtures throughout the Rialto. All are Czechoslovakian crystal. Steuben glass, copper and bronze. Each piece of crystal was crafted by the Victor S. Perlman Company, in Chicago. The magnificent chandelier in the center of the Rotunda is called "The Duchess". It is one of the largest crystal chandeliers in the United States. It weighs over two and one half tons, is nearly twenty-two feet long and has approximately two hundred fifty lights.

Name of business: The Rialto Square Theatre Type of business: Cinema/Theater Condition of Neon Sign: Hitsville - In good working order Physical Location: 15 E Van Buren St Joliet, IL USA 60432 Web Address: [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
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Date Logged Log User Rating   06/12/2011 Metro2 visited it 02/25/2009 cldisme visited it

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