Rialto Square Theatre in Joliet enjoys reopening after asbestos woes

The Rialto Square Theatre reopened Tuesday to the delight of local patrons and first-time visitors from out of town.

The downtown Joliet theater had been empty since the end of June after a planned construction shutdown was extended for almost two months by state regulators who cited Rialto management and contractors for a violation during asbestos removal.

Those troubles, although just ending Tuesday, seemed far away as 1,200 people streamed into the theater for a performance by the Vitamin String Quartet.

“It’s like meeting an old friend. It’s incredible to come in here and see how beautiful it is. I’m always in awe.”

—  Jennifer Prunsky of Morris

Jennifer Prunsky of Morris basked in the ornate atmosphere of the Rialto rotunda.

Prunsky said she was aware of the Rialto’s asbestos challenges but was focused on the theater.

“To come back when it’s reopened and it’s had a deep clean, it’s like meeting an old friend,” Prunsky said. “It’s incredible to come in here and see how beautiful it is. I’m always in awe.”

Michael and Kelsi Duncan of Washington, Indiana, said they were eager to get their first look inside the Rialto as they waited outside in line for the theater to open.

“I’m real excited,” Michael said. “I looked at some pictures online, and it has a beautiful interior.”

The Duncans are fans of the Vitamin String Quartet. So is Alisha Walden of Washington, Illinois.

Walden said she also was eager to see the Rialto Square Theater after growing up in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where she went to a classic theater also named the Rialto.

“It’s so nice in here,” Walden said.

Rialto regulars may have noticed that the theater had a different shine.

One project completed during the closing was a refinishing of the terrazzo floor that runs from the Rialto entrance through its Hall of Mirrors, modeled after the Palace of Versailles in France, and into the rotunda that features a chandelier named “The Duchess.”

“I come here just to see ‘The Duchess,’” Mary Margaret Wahl of Joliet said.

“The Duchess” and other chandeliers inside the Rialto are shown in a new light after the deep cleaning of the terrazzo floor, said Wade Welsh, executive director of the Rialto.

“You can see the chandeliers on the floor now,” Welsh said, noting how the lights are reflected.

Refinishing the floor was one project that was completed during the theater closing.

Others were halted when the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency stopped construction after finding three bags with asbestos-containing material that were left unsealed in the basement July 24.

At that point, the Rialto’s attention was devoted entirely to satisfying state regulators’ demands to ensure that asbestos had not migrated into other parts of the theater building.

“We had a lot of support through this whole thing. To see it just reiterates the passion people have for the Rialto.”

—  Wade Welsh, executive director of the Rialto Square Theatre

Getting the theater opened again was a big moment for the Rialto.

“Relief is the first word that comes to mind,” Welsh said. “It’s been a stressful three months.”

Several Rialto patrons expressed dissatisfaction with the way the IEPA handled the Rialto situation.

“It was kind of ridiculous what the EPA did because the Rialto did nothing wrong,” Lori Grant of Braidwood said.

The bags with asbestos-containing materials were left unsealed by a contractor, something the Rialto and contractors will have to sort out with bills estimated to top $1 million over the course of the cleanup demanded by regulators.

Welsh said the Rialto has not seen a drop-off in attendance because of the asbestos situation. Ticket sales for the Vitamin String Quartet were so strong that the Rialto opened the balcony, which it had not expected to do.

“We had a lot of support through this whole thing,” Welsh said. “To see it just reiterates the passion people have for the Rialto.”