Rio Theatre (Overland Park, Kansas)

The Rio Theatre is a historic single-screen movie theater in Overland Park, Kansas, that originally opened on December 25, 1946. The theater was designed by Robert O. Boller, with the Boller Brothers architecture firm. The theater's design and architecture is an example of the Moderne-style, incorporating the use of teal neon lights, peach porcelain tiles, glass blocks, and aluminum trim. The theater was purchased by the City of Overland Park in 1987 for historic preservation purposes. It was sold to the Fine Arts Theatre Group in 1993, which undertook extensive renovations to restore the building to its original appearance. The theater reopened in 2000 as the independent Rio Theatre.^[1][2][3][4] The theater closed in March 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and underwent renovations, but as of June 2023, it has not yet reopened.^[5][4][6]

Rio Theatre

Overland Theatre, Overland Theater, Kimo South, Park Cinema, Theatre for Young America
Rio Theater in September 2012
Address	7204 W 80th Street Overland Park, Kansas United States
Coordinates	38°59′04″N 94°40′09″W
Owner	Fine Arts Group
Capacity	281
Construction
Opened	December 25, 1946 (1946-12-25)[1]
Architect	Robert O. Boller
Website
fineartsgroup.com/rio/
Overland Theater
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Architectural style	Moderne architecture
NRHP reference No.	05000009[2]
Added to NRHP	February 9, 2005

On February 9, 2005, the theater was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.^[7]

References

1. Lozano, Denise (29 June 2000). "Her name is Rio". The Pitch. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
3. Keller, Mike (5 May 2019). "A History of Dickinson Theatres: Reel One 1920 – 1969". JocoHistory. Johnson County Library. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
4. Shackelford-Nwanganga, Bek (31 August 2022). "Rio Theatre in Overland Park remains closed - Will it reopen?". Shawnee Mission Post. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
5. Garcia, Juliana (29 June 2020). "Rio Theatre marquee gets update during COVID-19 closure, owner says no permanent closure in sight". Shawnee Mission Post. Retrieved 8 November 2022.
6. McCarthy, Ben (20 June 2023). "Rio Theatre owners still hope to reopen in downtown Overland Park". Shawnee Mission Post. Retrieved 27 December 2023.
7. "Rio Theater". Johnson County Museum. Retrieved 10 November 2022.