Rialto Theatre

Listed: 2008

Constructed: 1925

Threat: Natural elements; fire

Closest Town to Resource: Alamosa

Significance: With great fanfare and over 1,500 valley residents in attendance, U.S Vice President Charles G. Dawes placed the cornerstone of the American Legion Hall in Alamosa on July 27, 1925. The Legion Hall – to become the Rialto Theater two years later – would be a premier social center for the San Luis Valley and Alamosa’s vibrant downtown for more than 70 years. Completed in 1926, the large, two-story structure housed retail businesses in its front portion and an interior arcade. Its great hall, which came to include a theater with a stage and a large auditorium, hosted many functions. The late-1990s brought a new six-plex cinema west of Alamosa and led to the closing of the Rialto.

In 2003, the entire theater portion of the structure was destroyed by a fire. Concerned over the structural integrity of the building, the City of Alamosa issued a Certificate of Dangerous Building and demanded its demolition in 2005. In 2006, the State Historical Fund paid for a full historic structure assessment that provided a preservation plan and recommendations.

Selecting the Rialto as one of Colorado’s Most Endangered Places in 2008, Colorado Preservation, Inc began a campaign for preservation efforts. The building was sold to individuals with the vision and perseverance to rehabilitate the building into Bistro Rialto, a delectable Italian eatery, catering facility, and meeting room. Today, the building houses a Thai restaurant and offices for the Center for Restorative Programs.