It's been decades since The Riverside Theater hosted an old time Vaudeville show.  Since then, it's been a movie theater, rock and roll venue, and more.  The Riverside Theater is now a gem that sits along the Milwaukee River. 

There was a time when this old venue was to be torn down to make room for retail stores.  When that news broke, Riverside Theater supporters came out in huge numbers.  They didn't want another strip mall.  They wanted to keep the theater open. 

A fire nearly took the theater down to the ground back in the 1960's.  The Riverside Theater owners of that time did just enough repair work to keep the theater open.  It took another twenty years to raise the funds to bring the theater back from the dead.

A well run restoration effort has brought elegance back to the Riverside Theater.  Yes, the walls shake with classic rock and roll shows, but patrons are careful to enjoy the ornate details of the theater from a safe distance. 

Today, the Riverside Theater plays host to bands like Cheap Trick, Feist, Flight of the Chonchords, and more.  Fans of the theater hope that it will continue to bring talented artists to Milwaukee.