After receiving recognition as a member of the National Register of Historic Places, the Rialto Square Theater underwent a period of restoration and renovation that started in 1980. The Rialto Square Theater Corporation was formed and the building became a non-profit cultural arts center. In this article, you will learn about some of the paranormal activity reported to have taken place at the theater.
The appearance and history of the Rialto Square Theater has contributed to the allure of paranormal activity at this attraction. Over the years, weddings have taken place and other events, including musical performances and special occasions.
Ghost Sightings
The Rialto Square Theater has a reputation for harboring a female apparition that has been sighted by staff, workers, and guests. The ghost has been reported to float about the theater. It is said that she is most active when the theater is closed to the public and doesn’t hesitate to let people know of her presence.
There are theories as to who this female apparition is. Some believe that she used to be a well-known performer of the past who enjoyed the stage at Rialto. The memories must have been good because she decided to linger after her death. The balcony is the location of more than one ghost sightings. It is believed that male and female entities that haunt the balcony may have been a couple that fell from it and died as a result.
To investigate the possibility of ghosts and paranormal activity at the Rialto Square Theater, a paranormal investigation team based in Joliet explored the premises. Sight Paranormal is a local group headed by a man named Rob Hall who investigated the theater. A fee was charged to allow the group to conduct their investigation and in an effort to cover the cost, investigators from other paranormal groups were invited to join in on the fun.
Hall’s wife felt one of the more memorable experiences at the theater, as she traveled up the stairs to right side of the balcony. While standing on the stairs, she reportedly felt a presence of things she could not see. Feeling not alone, Hall’s wife called down to another member to take a photograph of upstairs because she felt something would show up in an image of a spirit entity. A picture was taken, but the original photo produced a darker result of things you could barely see.
The photo was then reversed to produce the effect of a negative. It was also enlarged. The right side of the photo, directly above the circle to the right, the wife was shown, but her face was slightly blocked out. To the left by the circle, it looked as if there was a woman and man dressed in period clothing in the photo. They believed that they had captured an image of the male and female ghosts of the theater.
To this day, it is thought that the Rialto Square Theater is a haunted location in Illinois. The ghostly female apparition is still sighted on the premises. The two entities (male and female) are also said to call the theater their final resting place in the afterlife.