Fernanda Girolami, who is in her 80s, remembers walking with her little brother to buy a big candy bar for one nickel at the store next door to the Rivoli Theatre before watching movies there in the late 1950s.
“There was a double feature. On Saturday mornings they played cartoons and followed it up with a more popular film” she said.
She was one of more than 100 people who came out to the Rivoli and witnessed the unveiling of its new marquee Oct. 24. The event — hosted by the John Boner Neighborhood Center — brought out Congressman André Carson, a Democrat who represents Indianapolis in the 7th Congressional District.
Universal Studios opened the Rivoli Theatre in 1927. The 1,500-seat venue — located at 3155 E. 10th St. — had one screen. It was the first cinema in Indiana to show movies with sound. Girolami remembers when they put in the organ because she enjoyed going to watch Charlie Chaplin’s silent films.
Now, the almost 100-year-old theater is being remodeled which is part of a goal to improve the quality of life for residents and visitors by focusing on the arts near East 10th Street.
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Lee Klafczynski is a Mirror Indy freelance contributor. You can reach them at leeklaf@gmail.com.
Mirror Indy reporter Mesgana Waiss covers arts and culture. Contact her at 317-667-2643 or mesgana.waiss@mirrorindy.org.
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