The Rialto Theatre in Winslow, Arizona: Nearly 100 Years of Route 66 Cinema

The Rialto Theatre: Winslow’s Enduring Route 66 Cinema

In the heart of downtown Winslow, Arizona — a Route 66 town famous for Eagles songs, the La Posada Hotel, and the iconic Standin’ on the Corner Park — a small Art Deco cinema at 115 N. Kinsley Avenue has been welcoming audiences since 1927. Originally opened as the Rialto Theatre and now operating as the Winslow Theater, this community landmark has survived silent films, the talkies, near-demolition by fire, multiple changes of ownership, a closure that lasted nearly a decade, and the perpetual economic headwinds facing small-town cinemas in the modern era. That it is still showing films nearly a century after its opening is, in itself, a remarkable story.

Where is the Rialto Theatre (Winslow Theater)?

Address: 115 N. Kinsley Avenue, Winslow, AZ 86047

Phone: (928) 289-1000

The theater is located just one block north of Route 66 (Second Street) at Kinsley Avenue, adjacent to the famous Standin’ on the Corner Park. It is within easy walking distance of the La Posada Hotel, the Old Trails Museum, and all of Winslow’s major Route 66 attractions.

The History of the Rialto Theatre

Opening Night: 1927

Construction of the theater that would become the Rialto was announced in the Winslow Mail in 1926, with an estimated budget of $30,000 — a substantial investment for a small Arizona desert town. The article noted that it would be “one of the finest theaters in Northern Arizona when completed.” The Rialto Theatre officially opened on July 12, 1927, with an original capacity of 626 seats arranged in upper and lower level seating in a two-story configuration. It also featured something genuinely remarkable for 1927: an air conditioning system. In the summer heat of northern Arizona, this was not merely a luxury — it was a major draw.

The opening program included silent films accompanied by a Meisel & Sullivan pipe organ, which remained an occasional musical feature of the theater through the 1950s. The Rialto was operated by the Nace/Rickards chain, a regional theater operator that also ran several other Arizona cinemas, and it quickly established itself as the social center of Winslow’s entertainment life.

Sound Arrives (1929)

Just two years after opening, the Rialto made a $20,000 investment in a sound system, joining the nationwide transition from silent films to “talkies.” The first feature film with full synchronized sound to play in Winslow was Broadway Melody — a fitting choice, as the 1929 MGM musical was itself one of the first successful all-talking, all-singing, all-dancing Hollywood films. The sound installation transformed the theater’s programming possibilities and cemented its role as Winslow’s primary entertainment venue through the golden age of Route 66.

Route 66’s Influence

Winslow sat squarely on Route 66’s Arizona alignment, and the highway brought a steady stream of travelers through town from the late 1920s onward. The Rialto benefited from this traffic, serving not only local residents but road-trippers who stopped overnight in Winslow and were looking for evening entertainment. During the postwar boom years of Route 66, when Winslow was a thriving railroad and highway town, the Rialto was one of several entertainment options in town, later joined by the Chief Theater (which operated from 1939 to 1952) and the Tonto Drive-In Theater (which opened in 1951).

The Fire of 1955 and Aftermath

In 1955, a major fire caused severe damage to the Rialto Theatre, requiring significant reconstruction. The two-story configuration and original 626-seat capacity were not fully restored; the rebuilt theater operated with approximately 260 seats. Despite the reduced capacity and the architectural changes forced by the reconstruction, the Rialto continued to operate, serving Winslow’s residents through the coming decades.

Closure, Rescue, and Reopening

The theater operated continuously through most of its history but closed definitively on January 31, 1996 — reportedly with Pauly Shore’s Bio-Dome as its final film. The marquee was removed and the building sat boarded up for nearly a decade.

In the mid-2000s, the theater received an unexpected savior: Allan Affeldt, the preservationist who had led the spectacular restoration of the La Posada Hotel in Winslow, purchased the Rialto and reopened it as the Winslow Theater. Funding from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program helped finance improvements. Affeldt’s acquisition reflected the same instinct that had driven his La Posada work: a belief that Winslow’s historic buildings were worth saving and that Route 66 tourism could sustain them. Since 2017, the theater has been managed by a local operator who has continued showing first-run films while dreaming of adding live music and community events to the programming mix.

The Theater Today

The Winslow Theater is one of the most historically continuous small-town cinemas in America — nearly a century of regular film exhibition in the same building, on the same street, in the same Route 66 town. It shows first-run films on a regular schedule and has become a beloved institution for both Winslow residents and Route 66 travelers who want to experience something genuinely local rather than tourist-facing. Walking into the theater connects visitors directly to the 1920s world in which it was built — a world where this small desert town was prosperous enough to afford a fine cinema, and where Route 66 was the artery that made that prosperity possible.

The theater’s location directly adjacent to the Standin’ on the Corner Park makes it particularly easy to combine with the most famous Route 66 stop in Winslow. After taking the obligatory photos at the corner, a stroll up Kinsley Avenue brings you to the theater’s facade, which still evokes its Art Deco heritage even in its current form.

Tips for Visiting the Winslow Theater

Check the theater’s Facebook page or call (928) 289-1000 for current showtimes — the schedule varies.
The theater is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday evenings at 7 PM, and Saturday and Sunday at 3 PM and 7 PM; closed Wednesdays.
Combine a movie with dinner at the La Posada Hotel’s Turquoise Room — together they make for one of the most genuinely local evenings available to Route 66 travelers in Arizona.
Walk the Standin’ on the Corner Park area before or after the film — the corner is at the bottom of Kinsley Avenue, just one block south of the theater.
The Winslow Theater is a working community cinema, not a tourist attraction — buy a ticket and enjoy a film for the full experience.
Winslow also offers the Old Trails Museum, the La Posada Hotel gardens and galleries, and easy access to Meteor Crater — allow at least a full day in town.

Final Thoughts on the Rialto / Winslow Theater

The Rialto Theatre — now the Winslow Theater — is not a flashy Route 66 stop. It doesn’t have neon signs or vintage cars out front. What it has is something rarer: nearly 100 years of continuous community life, the kind of sustained presence that makes a building more than a structure and turns it into a place. Route 66 exists, in large part, to connect travelers with the authentic life of the communities it passes through — and few stops in Winslow do that more honestly than this modest cinema on Kinsley Avenue, where the popcorn is real and the films still flicker on the same wall where silent pictures played in 1927.