The esplanade, or inner lobby, is designed after the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles near Paris, France. The arch between the esplanade and rotunda area has been carefully copied from the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. In the center is the head of the goddess Athena.
To the upper right of the arch is a symbolic bas-relief, in the form of a dragon, entitled "Labor Fighting the Evils of Today." On the left side is "Man's Labor," showing the harvesting of wheat.
The elegant rotunda is surrounded by 18 Corinthian-style columns, and surmounted by a dome very similar to the Pantheon in Rome. The suspended eight-arm crystal chandelier, the "Duchess," bronze giant of some 200 fixtures, is 20 feet long with 250 lights. The large prisms are of the Marie Therese cut which was popular during the Rococo period. Draperies throughout the theatre were of the early Dufour period. Encircling the rotunda in full view, is the Goddess of the Eastern Star.
A position of pride: The Rialto's highly-trained team of
ushers, circa 1926.
A promenade foyer of dignity and beauty leads to the
auditorium and to a stairway to :he mezzanine as well
as to the Scott Street ground level exit.
The Rialto played host to large gatherings while still
fulfilling the needs of the theatre-going public. A
fashion show with Sammy Berk and his Rhythm
Kings, circa 1932, is pictured above.
To the far left in the arch is the god Apollo, son of Jupiter
and Leto. According to Greek and Roman mythology,
Apollo was the driver of the Chariot of the Sun. At the
far right is his twin sister Diana, Goddess of the Hunt
and Goddess of the Moon. Her chariot is pulled by lions
and Apollo's by horses. Again, we see the garland of
fruits around the arch. Some of the other plaster reliefs
around the stage are of Pan, a god of flocks and pastures.
The woman in the center of the arch reminds one of the
Sandro Botticelli painting titled "The Birth Of Venus."
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