The Rio opened in 1935, built in an unusual mix of Art Deco and Spanish Colonial styles. The theatre was one of the Cohen Brothers Detroit Theatrical Enterprises theaters that was one of a handful of theatre chains around the area that were trying to draw the movie-going public.
Recent photo of the former Rio Theatre along West Vernor
with the former marquee covered-up and used as retail signage
The Rio sat around 1400, and was designed by Cyril Edward Schlay whose best known Detroit work is the former Telenews Theatre along Woodward near Grand Circus Park.
Schley is the distinguished architect who designed the fascinating building you see—apprenticed with Detroit’s leading theater architect, C. Howard Crane, before working on his own.
Half folded program containing advertisements for movies
playing at the Rio Theater between August 17th to the 23rd, 1950
Some of the memories from those folks that patronized the Rio are the stories of the kids in the neighborhood going to the Rio on Saturday afternoon. The had two pictures, a news reel, a cartoon and on most Saturdays, an exciting adventure serial of heroes like, Buck Rogers, Flash Gordon, Superman etc.
The cost for all this entertainment? A mere 10 cents! For a nickel, we could get a large milky way candy bar and for another 10 cents, a bag of popcorn.
The Rio served as a first-run movie house until it closed in 1960.
Half folded program containing advertisements for movies playing
at the Rio and Capitol Theatres between May 3rd to May 14th, 1940
Later-on, the Rio Theatre Building would repurposed to a furniture store and other retail purposes. The architecture of the building still is a reminder of days-gone-by. Those that remember this as a theatre, do so with fond memories of the times that they had there and not just for the films that were shown.