Rialto Theatre
Atlanta, GA
Photo courtesy Paul Bauke

Look up along Forsyth Street in downtown Atlanta and it's hard to miss the towering Rialto Theatre sign. The Rialto name has been part of this corner since 1916, although the theater standing here today isn't quite that old. 04-09

The original Rialto opened in October 1916 as a silent movie house and became a longtime downtown favorite. That building was torn down in 1962 and replaced by a larger, more modern theater, complete with the big vertical RIALTO sign seen here.

Like many downtown theaters, the Rialto eventually lost audiences to the suburbs and closed in 1989. Georgia State University later took over the building, restored it and reopened the doors in 1996 as the Rialto Center for the Arts.

Movies have given way mostly to concerts, jazz, dance and other performances, but that big old sign still makes the Rialto easy to spot.

UPDATE: The Rialto Center for the Arts remains open under Georgia State University, with the familiar vertical sign still lighting up downtown Atlanta. 08-26