Joliet

The Rialto Square Theatre is a theater in the Joliet, Illinois suburb of Chicago. Opening in 1926, it was originally designed and operated as a... vaudeville movie palace, but it now houses mainly musicals, plays, concerts, and standup comedy.It is also available for public and private functions. Designed in the Neo-Baroque style, it is considered one of "150 great places in Illinois" by the American Institute of Architects. Inside Rialto Square Theatre, which opened in 1926 and underwent a restoration in the 1980s, shining scagliola columns rise into a celestial dome full of intricate sculptures. A Duchess chandelier dominates the rotunda. Cream-colored marble walls line the lobby and cherubim flutter into the auditorium. The lobby’s marble walls were polished by Conrad Schmitt Studios, the same company that did major restoration work at the Rialto in 1980. The black marble base on the walls of the esplanade, fashioned after the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles in France, has been polished, as has the elegant red, pink and gray scagliola above the base. C.W.
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The Joliet Iron and Steel Works was once the second largest steel mill in the United States. Joliet Iron Works was initially run from 1869 to 1936.... Joliet Steel Works eventually became unprofitable and all operations were ceased by the early 1980s. In the 1990s, the Forest Preserve District of Will County purchased the property containing the ruins of the ironworks to preserve a piece of history. The District operates the site as the Joliet Iron Works Historic Site. The works were originally owned and operated by the Joliet Iron and Steel Company, which was acquired by the Illinois Steel Company shortly after its formation in 1889. In turn, Illinois Steel was acquired by Federal Steel, which went on to be central in the formation of U.S. Steel. The rolling mill, a key element of the works, struck its first blow in March 1873. Railroad rails rolled at the Joliet Works played a key role in the expansion of America's railroad infrastructure. The works had a dam on the Des Plaines River for power, and four blast furnaces capable of producing up to 2,000 tons of pig iron daily.
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The Louis Joliet Hotel is a historic, eight-story building in Joliet, Illinois. The Classical Revival building was constructed in 1927 and initially... functioned as a hotel. The Louis Joliet was one of many hotels to set up in downtown Joliet in response to increased automobile usage. The ensuing economical surge resulted in a substantial increase in the number of business travelers, and hence, an increased demand for hotel rooms. Whereas previous hotels needed to be close to either the Illinois and Michigan Canal or a train station, new hotels could set up anywhere in town. New hotels were architecturally ornate and featured dinner rooms and ballrooms. These features were intended to draw in travelers and make the hotel seem ideal for conducting business. The Ruben Brothers were prominent developers who envisioned a new hotel near the site where they planned on building a theater. They aimed to construct an entire city block that served business and entertainment needs. The Rialto Square Theatre was constructed in 1926, but they struggled to secure financing for a hotel. Real estate developer Fred J.
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Jimmy Chamberlin is an American drummer, songwriter, and producer. He is best known as the former drummer for the alternative rock band The Smashing... Pumpkins. After a drug-related incident with touring keyboardist Jonathan Melvoin in 1996, Chamberlin was fired from the band and joined The Last Hard Men, but rejoined the Pumpkins in late 1998. Following the 2000 breakup of the band, Chamberlin joined Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan in the supergroup Zwan and also formed his own group, the Jimmy Chamberlin Complex. In 2005, Chamberlin joined Corgan in reforming The Smashing Pumpkins; he eventually left the group in March 2009 and currently performs in the group Skysaw. Chamberlin, who originally trained as a jazz drummer, cites jazz musicians Benny Goodman, Duke Ellington, Gene Krupa, and Buddy Rich, as well as rock drummers Keith Moon, Ian Paice, and John Bonham as major influences on his technique. While he is known as "one of the most powerful drummers in rock," he primarily strives for emotionally communicative playing. In 2008, Gigwise named Chamberlin the 5th best drummer of all time. James Joseph Chamberlin was born in Joliet, Illinois, one of six children.
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Larry Parks was an American stage and movie actor. He was born Samuel Klausman Lawrence Parks. His career was virtually ended when he admitted to... having once been a member of a Communist party cell, which led to his blacklisting by all Hollywood studios. Parks grew up in Joliet, Illinois, graduating from Joliet Township High School in 1932. He attended the University of Illinois as a pre-med student, and played in stock companies for a few years before signing a movie contract with Columbia Pictures in 1941. As did most Columbia contract players, he played supporting roles in higher-budgeted films, and larger roles in B pictures, such as 1942's Atlantic Convoy. When Columbia was preparing a screen biography of Al Jolson, many big-name stars were considered for the title role, including James Cagney and Danny Thomas , but resident contractee Larry Parks was reportedly the first actor to be interviewed. Parks impressed the producers and won the role. At the age of 31, his performance in The Jolson Story earned him a "Best Actor" Academy Award nomination.
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Lionel Brockman Richie, Jr. is an American singer-songwriter, musician, record producer and actor. From 1968, he was a member of the musical group... Commodores signed to Motown Records. Richie made his solo debut in 1982 with the album Lionel Richie and number-one hit "Truly". Richie was born in Tuskegee, Alabama, the son of Alberta R. and Lionel Brockman Richie. Richie grew up on the campus of Tuskegee Institute. His grandfather's house was across the street from the home of the president of the college. His family moved to Joliet, Illinois, where he graduated from Joliet Township High School, East Campus. A star tennis player in Joliet, he accepted a tennis scholarship to attend Tuskegee Institute, and graduated with a major in economics. After receiving his undergraduate degree from Tuskegee, Richie briefly attended graduate school at Auburn University. He is a member of Kappa Kappa Psi and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity. As a student in Tuskegee, Richie formed a succession of R&B groups in the mid-1960s. In 1968 he became a singer and saxophonist with the Commodores.
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Cherlynne Theresa “Lynne” Thigpen was an American stage and television actress, most famous as "The Chief" in the various Carmen... Sandiego television series. Thigpen was born in Joliet, Illinois, and obtained a degree in teaching. She taught English in high school briefly in while studying theatre and dance at the University of Illinois. Thigpen moved to New York City in 1971 to begin her work as a stage actress. Thigpen had a long and prolific theater career, and appeared in numerous musicals including Godspell, The Night That Made America Famous, The Magic Show, Working, Tintypes and An American Daughter . Her first feature film role was Godspell co-starring opposite Victor Garber and David Haskell. She appeared notably as the omniscient Radio DJ in The Warriors, and as the mother of an expelled student in Lean on Me, a story of famous American principal Joe Louis Clark. She had a role in Shaft, alongside Samuel L. Jackson, as the murder victim's mother. She also played the Second President of the world council in Bicentennial Man .
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Robert David Sanders "Bob" Novak was an American syndicated columnist, journalist, television personality, author, and conservative political... commentator. After working for two newspapers before serving for the U.S. Army in the Korean War, he became a reporter for the Associated Press and then for The Wall Street Journal. He teamed up with Rowland Evans in 1963 to start Inside Report, which became the longest running syndicated political column in U.S. history and ran in hundreds of papers. They also started the Evans-Novak Political Report, a notable biweekly newsletter, in 1967. Novak and Evans played a significant role for CNN after the network's founding. He worked as a well-known television personality in programs such as The Capital Gang, Crossfire, and Evans, Novak, Hunt, & Shields. He also wrote for numerous other publications such as Reader's Digest. On August 4, 2008, Novak announced that he had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, that his prognosis was "dire", and that he was retiring. He succumbed to the disease on August 18, 2009 after having returned home to spend his last days with his family.
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Carlotta Mercedes McCambridge was an American actress. Orson Welles called her "the world's greatest living radio actress." McCambridge was born in... Joliet, Illinois, the daughter of Irish American Catholic parents Marie and John Patrick McCambridge. She graduated from Mundelein College in Chicago before embarking on a career. She began her career as a radio actor during the 1940s while also performing on Broadway. Her radio work in this period included her portrayal of Rosemary Levy on Abie's Irish Rose and various characters on the radio series I Love A Mystery in both its West Coast and East Coast incarnations . She frequently did feature roles on the CBS Radio Mystery Theater, and was an original cast member on The Guiding Light, before the Bauers took over as the central characters. She also starred in her own show, The Defense Attorney as Martha Ellis Bryant.
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Cherlynne Theresa “Lynne” Thigpen was an American stage and television actress, most famous as "The Chief" in the various Carmen... Sandiego television series. Thigpen was born in Joliet, Illinois, and obtained a degree in teaching. She taught English in high school briefly in while studying theatre and dance at the University of Illinois. Thigpen moved to New York City in 1971 to begin her work as a stage actress. Thigpen had a long and prolific theater career, and appeared in numerous musicals including Godspell, The Night That Made America Famous, The Magic Show, Working, Tintypes and An American Daughter . Her first feature film role was Godspell co-starring opposite Victor Garber and David Haskell. She appeared notably as the omniscient Radio DJ in The Warriors, and as the mother of an expelled student in Lean on Me, a story of famous American principal Joe Louis Clark. She had a role in Shaft, alongside Samuel L. Jackson, as the murder victim's mother. She also played the Second President of the world council in Bicentennial Man .
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Robert David Sanders "Bob" Novak was an American syndicated columnist, journalist, television personality, author, and conservative political... commentator. After working for two newspapers before serving for the U.S. Army in the Korean War, he became a reporter for the Associated Press and then for The Wall Street Journal. He teamed up with Rowland Evans in 1963 to start Inside Report, which became the longest running syndicated political column in U.S. history and ran in hundreds of papers. They also started the Evans-Novak Political Report, a notable biweekly newsletter, in 1967. Novak and Evans played a significant role for CNN after the network's founding. He worked as a well-known television personality in programs such as The Capital Gang, Crossfire, and Evans, Novak, Hunt, & Shields. He also wrote for numerous other publications such as Reader's Digest. On August 4, 2008, Novak announced that he had been diagnosed with a brain tumor, that his prognosis was "dire", and that he was retiring. He succumbed to the disease on August 18, 2009 after having returned home to spend his last days with his family.
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Steve Rodby is an American bassist. He joined the Pat Metheny Group in 1981. Prior to joining Metheny, he was a member of the Simon-Bard Group and... the Fred Simon ensemble. Rodby continues to collaborate with Simon as of 2011. Rodby studied bass at Northwestern University, a student of Warren Benfield of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. While at Northwestern, Rodby fell under the influence of master jazz artist Rufus Reid who both taught at NU and also studied with Benfield. Rodby quickly became the call bassist for the Jazz Showcase in Chicago, playing with many famous jazz artists. Rodby currently lives in Chicago, Illinois. He has collaborated with Pat Metheny and Lyle Mays. In 2011 Rodby joined forces once again with drummer Paul Wertico , and Dani Rabin on Marbin's record Breaking the Cycle.
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Carlotta Mercedes McCambridge was an American actress. Orson Welles called her "the world's greatest living radio actress." McCambridge was born in... Joliet, Illinois, the daughter of Irish American Catholic parents Marie and John Patrick McCambridge. She graduated from Mundelein College in Chicago before embarking on a career. She began her career as a radio actor during the 1940s while also performing on Broadway. Her radio work in this period included her portrayal of Rosemary Levy on Abie's Irish Rose and various characters on the radio series I Love A Mystery in both its West Coast and East Coast incarnations . She frequently did feature roles on the CBS Radio Mystery Theater, and was an original cast member on The Guiding Light, before the Bauers took over as the central characters. She also starred in her own show, The Defense Attorney as Martha Ellis Bryant.
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Scott Edward Spiezio is a former Major League Baseball infielder. He is currently an infielder for the Newark Bears of the independent Atlantic... League. He is well known for his time as a member of the Anaheim Angels, when he hit a 3-run home run in Game Six of the 2002 World Series against the San Francisco Giants, sparking the Angels to a dramatic come-from-behind victory. He has also played for the Oakland Athletics, Seattle Mariners, and St. Louis Cardinals. He is the son of former Padre and Cardinal Ed Spiezio. In addition to his pivotal moment helping the Angels win the World Series in 2002, 2002 was also Spiezio's most productive season full season, with a .807 OPS. Spiezio was a utility player on the St. Louis Cardinals 2006 World Series championship team. Spiezio attended Morris High School in Morris, Illinois and was a student and a letterman in baseball. In baseball, he was named his league's MVP and was an All-State selection. His sophomore year he was nicknamed "The Man with the Golden Guitar", a name that has stuck with him his entire life.
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Tyler Christopher is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Nikolas Cassadine and Connor Bishop on the ABC soap opera General... Hospital. Christopher was born in Joliet, Illinois and grew up in Delaware, Ohio, the youngest of four children. He is of Native American heritage, as his mother Jimi-Ann is Choctaw and his father Jim Baker is Seneca. He attended Ohio Wesleyan University for two years and then moved to Los Angeles. Christopher was married to Eva Longoria from 2002-2004. He has also been linked to former General Hospital actress Vanessa Marcil. From 2005-2007 he had an on again off again relationship with Natalia Livingston. Christopher married Brienne Pedigo in 2008, and the couple welcomed son Greysun James Christopher on October 3, 2009.
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