For almost half of the 20^th century, Lowell was a mecca for movie theaters, playing host, in any given year, to nearly a dozen theaters, most of them sprinkled throughout the downtown just blocks from one another.

Raise your hand if you remember the Strand, the Crown, the Owl, the Royal, the Merrimack Square, and for the purposes of this look back at Lowell’s history – the Rialto.  (Full disclosure:  the Strand was this writer’s early days go-to, usually after a visit across the street to check out the comics at Harvey’s Bookland.)

Located at the top of Central Street in the Towers Corner neighborhood, on the corners with Williams and Green Streets, the Rialto theater occupied the space at 240 Central Street for about 40 years, from about 1920 to 1960.  The tales of giveaway plates and dinner settings you could amass by regularly attending second-run shows at the Rialto are legendary Lowell lore!  In one of the more unique offerings, the building boasted a sliding roof that could open to the sky on summer nights.

The theater filled the space formerly occupied by the Boston and Maine railroad depot, and for a time, would also play host to a duckpin bowling alley.Fast forward, though to the urban renewal wave of the 1970s, by which point the building’s towers had already been removed in favor of screaming billboards and advertisements.  The latter part of the 20^th century saw the Rialto’s movie marquee overhanging Central Street finally come down, years after it had been totaled by a passing tractor trailer truck.

For years, the Lowell National Historical Park as well as the Historic Board saved the former depot from the wrecking ball and served as stewards to the property, before Middlesex Community College acquired the property in 2007.  With a creative cocktail of state funding sources, rehabilitation on the building began in 2015, and the building opened in 2018 – only to have its in-person activities eventually derailed by the global pandemic that kept everyone home for the better part of two years.  The college has hosted community events, music recitals, and plays, including most recently, the Rocky Horror Show.  This past weekend, the building hosted the city’s first Asian Film Festival.

Last week, movies returned to the newly refurbished theater, joining the Luna Theater at Mill No. 5 on Jackson Street as another downtown venue to feature movies, albeit a niche selection of famed flicks.

On Thursday, the newly launched MCC Cinema Classics series kicked off its return of big screen flicks with a viewing of the silent vampire film, Nosferatu, celebrating the black-and-white horror piece’s 100^th anniversary.

Movie-goers from throughout Greater Lowell arrived on Thursday to the smell of popcorn wafting once again through the lobby, as well as life-size cutouts of the silent vampire greeting them at the entrance.  The Cinema Classics program teamed with the college’s music department’s World of Music series, and featured the Dylan Jack quartet providing the accompanying score to accentuate the 1922 horror noir film.  Jack is an alum of MCC, hailing from nearby Billerica.

Next up on the theater’s movie slate is a December 17^th matinee showing of the Christmas classic It’s a Wonderful Life and then a celebration of the 80^th anniversary of Casablanca in January.

What Silver Screen classics would you like to see return to the screen at the college’s Academic Arts Center?  Any memories of the Rialto you want to share with us?  Still have your giveaway plates? Post in the comments and share your story!