Rivoli Theatre

The Rivoli Theatre opened its doors to a welcoming Cedarburg audience. The former Boerner Brothers dry goods store—built in the late 1800s—had been transformed into an entertainment showplace at a cost equivalent to well over one million dollars today. The building’s new art deco facade boasted black Carrara glass, plenty of chrome trim, an Electrolite Silhouette marquee, and sidewalk ticket booth. The opulence continued inside the theater, with “seats of full-upholstered velour which are extremely modern…heavy carpeting of a unique design… light fixtures…ultra-modern in design, giving the patrons a colorful hue of lighting effects.” Also noted in the opening night program: “A feature of the new Rivoli will be the ladies’ powder and lounging room, modernly equipped and handsomely furnished.”