The Rialto Theatre building in Alamosa, Colorado. The Rialto opened in 1925 as an American Legion Hall. Within two years it became a movie house seating about 1,000, and also featured live entertainment. By the 1940s, seating had been reduced to a little over 500. The Rialto suffered a devastating fire in 2003 that gutted the auditorium of the building, which was razed in June of 2004. Subsequently a bistro operated out of the former lobby of the building, which retained its vertical marquee. Photo by Carol Highsmith.