{"nrhp_refnum":"80002731","name":"Riviera Theatre","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"27 Webster St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"North Tonawanda","county":"Niagara County","state":"NY","lat":43.023863051000035,"lon":-78.87704265399998,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1980-03-20","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Art","Architecture","Performing Arts"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 1926 movie and vaudeville theatre at 27 Webster Street in the center of North Tonawanda, Niagara County, New York, designed by Leon H. Lampert & Sons. It is built of concrete, brick and steel.","why_significant":"The nomination presents it as one of the last surviving 1920s movie palaces in New York State and an important example of a pre-sound era neighborhood theatre that still operates as a theatre. It also holds a decorated Wurlitzer organ, made in North Tonawanda, and murals by noted decorative artists.","narrative":"Opened in December 1926 on Webster Street in downtown North Tonawanda, this 1,184-seat theatre was built for the booming canal towns of the Tonawandas. Leon H. Lampert & Sons designed the concrete, brick and steel building, which is only 31 feet wide at the front but 164 feet deep. Its Italian Renaissance decoration includes stained glass, crystal chandeliers, a faience tile floor, marble stairs and murals designed by Willard M. Lusk and painted by Ferdinand Kebely. The full proscenium stage, with its original daylight screen and asbestos curtain, supported silent films and vaudeville. A Wurlitzer organ, built by the local Rudolph Wurlitzer Company and decorated with nude female figures, remains in place and has been enlarged over time. The theatre was named Rivera at first and became the Riviera in 1928 under the Michael Shea chain. It is cited as one of the last surviving 1920s movie palaces in the state and still presents films, live shows and organ concerts.","period_of_significance":"1900-1930","architect_builder":"Leon H. Lampert & Sons, architects; Bellanca and Sorgi, general contractors","architectural_style":"Italian Renaissance decorative theme","criteria":[],"status_note":"Still operating as a theatre, in good condition; shows films, live performances and monthly organ concerts.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:42.930604-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/80002731.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002731/fe8ebbcc63-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/80002731/fe8ebbcc63-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"Dheckler510","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Riviera_from_the_Stage.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Dheckler510</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 4.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Riviera_from_the_Stage.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75320139","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Riviera_Theatre_(North_Tonawanda,_New_York)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7338879"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/niagara-county/riviera-theatre-80002731/"}