Rivoli Theatre
1806 Washington Street,
Two Rivers,
WI
54241
1806 Washington Street,
Two Rivers,
WI
54241
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The actual opening date is December 18, 1922 with House Peters in “Rich Men’s Wives” along with musical performances by the Gloe-Naidi Concert Orchestra with eleven male singers doing “Good Fellowship” and the overture of “Orpheus of the Unterwelt”.
As of 1922, the Rivoli Theatre is originally constructed out of symmetrical terra cotta and colored brick facade and originally housed 800 luxurious leather-covered velour banded seats arranged so as to insure unobstructed view of the 36ft stage (70ft height). A huge circle of electric bulbs and inverted domes, shedding a soft glow over all up above. The wall panels are twin chandelier and quaint shade and featured a pipe organ from below the stage. The valance was dipped in rich blue while the monogram, cords and tassels are dipped in blazing gold. Up in the rear balcony is the projection booth with two Simplex projectors and a spotlight machine being added as well, and lastly is a restrooms for both genders located in the rear.
In the 1950s, the staff of the Rivoli Theatre portrayed ghosts for the Municipal Recreation Department’s Halloween Saturday afternoon show, the Manitowoc Herald Times reported on October 30, 1953 saying, “Eight young misses will portray the roles of ghosts in serving as ushers at the event for the kiddies. Their adopted theme song will be ‘A-Haunting We Will Go’.” The ushers for the evening included Natalie (Spooks) Lueck, Betty (Spirits) Fronk, Nancy (Shadow) Henrickson, Dorothy (Goblin) Shavlik, Shirley (Screams) Richard, Shirley (Shreaks) Beth, and Lou Ann (Groans) Prausa. The 1953 feature was the “Houdini Story”, “with its death-defying feast of the great escape artist of all time, the late Harry Houdini of Appleton” and “Disaster in the Stratosphere” (the sixth chapter of “The Lost Planet”), “Hollywood at Play”, and three cartoons. A costume contest was held with “numerous worthwhile prizes from Two Rivers merchants.” The article went on to report that “more than a hundred children have appeared in unique and unusual attire, with winners being selected by the applause of the audience.” All entrants through eighth grade were required to sign a “good behavior” pledge at their school, agreeing to exhibit proper behavior for Halloween and not be involved in vandalism or nuisance behavior, common at that time. Admission was fourteen cents, doors opened at 2:45 pm, the entertainment began at 3:15 and lasted about three hours, following which each participant received a treat from the Two Rivers Recreation Department. “Since its inception several years ago provision of this entertainment for the children has reduced Halloween nuisances to a minimum, according to the Police Department. Two Rivers boys and girls find this amusement far more attractive than the trick-or-treat tactics of prior years.”
The 1954 Recreation Department’s Halloween festivities were held on November 1, sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce and the Two Rivers Recreation Department. Over 2,000 “good behavior” pledges were disbursed at local schools. Admission was 10 cents.
The RIVOLI, with its 1,000 seats, held its popular Halloween celebrations until it closed in the late 1950s. Afterwards the building became Evan’s Department Store and later the Two Rivers Christian Center Thrift Store.
Here is a 1943 photo of the Rivoli Theatre. It had a handsome facade of brick and terra cotta. It’s hard to tell from the limited view the photo provides, but the style looks to have been predominantly Italian Rennaisance. I haven’t found any interior photos.
The Rivoli opened in 1922, according to the final paragraph of this web page. An announcement that the theater was being planned appeared in the January 28, 1922, issue of The American Contractor:
A history of the Two Rivers Opera House (7MB PDF here) has a photo of the Rivoli under construction (about halfway through the document.) It says that that the Rivoli opened in December, 1922, with a vaudeville show and the feature film Rich Men’s Wives. The Rivoli was equipped with a Barton organ.The Rivoli closed for about two years in the late 1950s, but was reopened in 1959 according to an item in the May 2 issue of The Milwaukee Sentinal that year. I’ve been unable to discover how long the theater remained open after that, but I doubt it was very long. When the subsequent occupant, Evans Department Store, closed down a couple of years ago, it had been in operation for 47 years. The building is currently vacant and on the market. The current interior can be seen in this small PDF from the city’s economic development department. The interior has been altered as drastically as the facade, and is unlikely to be suitable for theatrical use. It looks like the auditorium was gutted and converted into two floors of retail space.
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