Rivoli Theater

Rivoli Theater. . This building started out as a single story building built between 1897 and 1900 to house four store fronts. In 1900, one of the storefronts became "The Pastime" and was a popular nickelodeon owned by the Matlock Family. The single-story building was remodeled and became The Arcade Theatre showing two and three reel silent movies. By 1921, the Matlock family owned the whole building and remodeled it again adding a second story to become a grand movie theatre which could also accommodate stage shows. Renamed the Rivoli, it had a 50' x 22' stage and five modern dressing rooms beneath the main floor. The remodel cost $110,000 and included a $19,000 pipe organ. Brussels carpet covered the foyer, aisles and stairways. The main floor seated 410, while the balcony could hold 400. The theatre office and restrooms were located on the mezzanine level. "Talkies" (movies with sound) came to the Rivoli in 1929. The films were often accompanied with vaudeville performances. The "theatre district" in Pendleton from 1900 through the 1930's was all located in the 300 block of South Main, with the second largest theatre being the Alta Theatre on Dorion Avenue across from City Hall, but the Rivoli was the major anchor. The Rivoli ran first-run movies, while the Alta showed the B movies and westerns. By 1935 there were only three in Pendleton: The Rivoli, The Alta, and the United Artist located at Main and Byers Avenue. In 1958 the Matlock family sold the theatre. Various succeeding owners attempted to modernize the building, renaming it the "Centre" theatre, dividing it into a twin cinema. In the 1980's, the balcony was removed in an attempt to turn it into a dinner theatre, though never completed. The upper façade remains relatively unchanged from the 1922 remodeling. The corners of the building have low relief quoins and there are diamond shaped lozenges along the parapet edges.