The Rivoli Theatre, once the crown jewel on Indy’s near east side, is making a comeback.
The public can attend an event for the unveiling of the theater’s new marquee 6-9 p.m. Oct. 24. Guests will also have the opportunity to tour the space and learn more about the renovation.
Universal Studios opened the Rivoli Theatre in 1927. The 1,500-seat venue — located at 3155 E. 10th St. — was designed by architect Henry Ziegler Dietz, complete with one screen. It was the first cinema in Indiana to show movies with sound.
From the 1960s to the 1980s, the theater held concerts for artists and bands like John Mellencamp, Climax Blues Band and Lynyrd Skynyrd.
The theater frequently changed owners in its almost 100 year history. The city forced its previous owner, Charles Churchian, to close the theater in 1992 after public backlash intensified against him showing adult films. Churchian died in 2017.
Rivoli Theatre was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004.
In 2018, the theater’s ownership was transferred from the Rivoli Center for the Performing Arts, Inc. to INSPIRE 10th Street LLC, a real estate partnership between Near East Area Renewal, John Boner Neighborhood Centers and Englewood CDC.
U.S. Rep. André Carson (D-Indianapolis) helped to secure $850,000 in federal Community Project Funding to rehabilitate the venue’s exterior. New improvements include repairing and replacing windows, fixing downspouts and gutters, adding clay titles to its roof and installing a historic storefront door.
Restoring older buildings like the Rivoli Theatre, along East 10th Street, is part of a larger goal to improve the quality of life for residents and visitors by focusing on the arts.
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Mirror Indy reporter Mesgana Waiss covers arts and culture. Contact her at 317-667-2643 or mesgana.waiss@mirrorindy.org.
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