Est. 1926 · Rapp & Rapp Neo-Baroque Movie Palace · National Register of Historic Places · AIA '150 Great Places in Illinois'
The Rialto Square Theatre is the work of C. W. and George L. Rapp, the Chicago architects whose firm Rapp & Rapp designed many of the great Midwestern movie palaces of the 1920s. The Rubens brothers — six siblings active in vaudeville and film exhibition — commissioned the theater in 1924 and opened it on May 24, 1926 with a stage production titled 'The Evolution of Joliet.'
The interior is Neo-Baroque, drawing on Greek, Roman, and Byzantine elements with a lobby modeled on the Hall of Mirrors at the Palace of Versailles. The American Institute of Architects has named the building one of '150 Great Places in Illinois.' It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
The theater is currently operated by VenuWorks. The address is 102 N. Chicago Street in downtown Joliet; the box office number is +1-815-726-6600. Performance schedules in 2026 include comedy, tribute, and film-with-live-act bookings; tickets through Ticketmaster.
The Rialto runs both historic-tour and paranormal-tour programming. Paranormal tours are two hours long, capped at 25 people, priced at $20 per person at the door, and held on select Fridays at 7 p.m. Investigative equipment is not permitted on the tour. The program is consistently sold out.
Sources
- https://rialtosquare.com/history/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rialto_Square_Theatre
- https://rialtosquare.com/paranormal-tours/
- https://www.legendsofamerica.com/il-rialtotheatreghost/
- https://patch.com/illinois/joliet/rialtos-many-ghosts-include-vivian-little-colin
- https://www.shawlocal.com/2019/02/10/then-now-rialto-theatre-joliet/aqcsz11/
ApparitionsTouching/pushingHair pullingPhantom footsteps
The most often-reported figure is described as an unnamed woman in her twenties, sometimes seen in hazy light, thought to have been a performer at the theater in its early decades. The figure is often referred to in newer Patch coverage as 'Vivian.'
A second recurring figure is described as a young boy of about four, called Colin, associated with the stage area; staff and guests describe him as mischievous — pulling at clothing, poking guests, tugging hair. The third recurring figure is The Woman in White, also called The Bride, associated with the back staircase and most often reported during wedding receptions held in the theater. She is described as wearing a long white dress.
The Rialto was investigated for Ghost Hunters Season 8, episode 17, 'Curtain Call,' which aired in 2012, and for the Travel Channel program Kindred Spirits. The theater also appears in regional ghost-tour and folklore coverage in Patch, Legends of America, and Illinois-Haunted-Houses listings.
The theater's paranormal tour leans into this folklore as cultural artifact: tour narration covers the figures, the rooms in which they are most often reported, and the institutional history that frames each. Investigative equipment is not permitted on the tour.
Notable Entities
Vivian (the early-20th-century actress)Colin (the four-year-old boy)The Bride / Woman in White
Media Appearances
- Ghost Hunters S8E17 'Curtain Call' (2012)
- Kindred Spirits (Travel Channel)
