The Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center or The Rose, also known as the Astro Theater, originally opened as The Riviera. It is located in

downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in North America by English speakers to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business distric ...

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

. Built in 1926 in a combination of both Moorish and Classical styles, the building was rehabilitated in 1986.

History

Noted for lavish stage shows combined with movies, the Riviera was regarded as one of the most elegant entertainment facilities in the

Midwest The Midwestern United States, also referred to as the Midwest or the American Midwest, is one of four Census Bureau Region, census regions of the United States Census Bureau (also known as "Region 2"). It occupies the northern central part of ...

John Eberson John Adolph Emil Eberson (January 2, 1875 – March 5, 1954) was an Austrian-American architect best known for the development and promotion of movie palace designs in the atmospheric theatre style. He designed over 500 theatres in his lifetime, e ...

, a nationally notable architect, built the theater as an example of the "atmospheric" theater popular during the 1920s. In a style created by Eberson, these atmospheric theaters simulated romantic outdoor Mediterranean courtyards with a night sky above, including twinkling stars and drifting clouds. The exterior of the building features a large copper domed tower, flanked by two smaller towers of similar detailing. The diamond-patterned brick facades contain oriel windows, elaborate cornices, glazed terra-cotta tile copings, and a series of free-standing columns which support griffins. In 1929, experiencing financial losses, the theater's owner sold the building to Paramount Company and the theater was renamed the Paramount Theater. In 1957, Paramount vacated the lease to Creighton University. Closed for several years, it was later leased to J.S.B. Amusement, and after renovations, was operated as a bowling alley. After only a year of operation, the building once again was remodeled to return it to a theater. It reopened as the Astro theater and continued operations until June 1980. Now closed and facing possible demolition, the Astro Theater was sold by

Creighton University Creighton University is a private Jesuit research university in Omaha, Nebraska. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1878, the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. In 2015 the university enrolled 8,393 graduate and undergra ...

to Rose Blumkin of the

Nebraska Furniture Mart Nebraska Furniture Mart (NFM) is a home furnishing store in North America that sells furniture, flooring, appliances and electronics. It is the largest of its kind in North America. NFM was founded in 1937 by Belarus-born Rose Blumkin, who was k ...

on June 24, 1981. In the early 1990s it was renovated and transformed into the Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center; it became the home of the Omaha Theater Company, which began performing there in 1995."The History of Our Company".

The Rose Performing Arts.
Retrieved 2015-08-05.
Archived 2015-03-30
at Wayback Machine.

References

External links

Historic Photo of The Riveria's Interior

Alternate Historic Photo of The Riveria's Interior

Postcard of The Riviera Theater

Historic Photo of The Rivera Theater

Riviera Theater Grand Opening Advertisement

Historic Photo of The Paramount Theater

Paramount Theater Advertisement

Astro Theater Advertisement
{{NRHP Omaha National Register of Historic Places in Omaha, Nebraska Omaha Landmarks Theatres completed in 1926 Theatres in Omaha, Nebraska Cinemas and movie theaters in Nebraska History of Downtown Omaha, Nebraska Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Nebraska 1926 establishments in Nebraska John Eberson buildings Atmospheric theatres

History

See also

References

External links