The Rialto is enjoying a second act. Here are some Raleigh favorites that didn’t survive

Josh Shaffer
·2 min read

The Rialto Theater boasts a long and varied history in Raleigh, from showing Betty Grable movies during World War II to Spike Lee’s “BlacKkKlansman” in 2019.

The 90-year-old theater on Glenwood Avenue belongs to a club of Raleigh’s timeworn favorites, each with its own legends and nostalgia.

But unlike many favorites that were torn down and replaced, the Rialto will enjoy a second act.

Here’s a look at some of the city’s storied establishments that weren’t so lucky:

Sadlack’s

This no-frills bar and sandwich joint on Hillsborough Street served four decades of committed fans and helped launch the musical life of Whiskeytown and dozens of other bands lost to history.

Closed: 2013

Sadlack’s Heroes, at 2116 Hillsborough Street in Raleigh, photographed in December 2013.
Sadlack’s Heroes, at 2116 Hillsborough Street in Raleigh, photographed in December 2013.

The Velvet Cloak

In its era, this red-brick hotel with New Orleans-style trim on Hillsborough Street ranked among Raleigh’s poshest digs, presenting crystal chandeliers and a black-tile jacuzzi. Van Halen stayed there in 1979.

Closed: 2017

The Velvet Cloak Inn, once a fixture on Hillsborough Street for more than five decades, was replaced with a student housing complex.
The Velvet Cloak Inn, once a fixture on Hillsborough Street for more than five decades, was replaced with a student housing complex.

Capital Creations

This favorite pizza emporium served a cult of customers for 31 years, offering spanakopita and chicken cordon bleu pies among its specialties.

Closed: After Thanksgiving 2023

The popular carry-out pizza shop Capital Creations will close next month after more than 30 years in Raleigh. Pictured are Capital Creations employees working a busy Friday lunch shift in 2003.
The popular carry-out pizza shop Capital Creations will close next month after more than 30 years in Raleigh. Pictured are Capital Creations employees working a busy Friday lunch shift in 2003.

Western Lanes

Dating back decades, the beloved bowling alley on Hillsborough Street hosted generations of N.C. State University students. Its bar had a groove worn down the middle of it where thousands of beer cans slid to customers over the years.

Closed: 2016

In this 2016 file photo, N.C. State freshman Gabrielle Faulkner gets some last practice in during bowling class at The Alley on Hillsborough St. in Raleigh in November 2016.
In this 2016 file photo, N.C. State freshman Gabrielle Faulkner gets some last practice in during bowling class at The Alley on Hillsborough St. in Raleigh in November 2016.

Gone but not forgotten: What’s left Hillsborough Street? What’s taken its place?

Crowley’s

In its nook off Dixie Trail, Crowley’s probably qualified as Raleigh’s smokiest bar in its day. And before that, it hosted a long line of notable jazz acts in its turn as The Frog & Nightgown.

Closed: 2015.

“My guys tested this, (but) it didn’t work,” said Rob Zinbar, owner of Crowley’s Restaurant and Bar at Stonehenge in North Raleigh. He planned to drop 500 one dollar bills onto the dance floor at midnight on New Year’s Eve blowing the money in the air from the stage using a leaf-blower. But, as his staff struggled with the blower, the excited patrons stormed the stage and knocked the money on the floor, where about a dozen people crawled to claim the bills. “I had more, but someone ripped it from my hands,” laughed Maria Geremina , 21-year-old ECU student who collected $7. “I just want to let everybody start on the right foot and have a prosperous new year,” said Zinbar, who also celebrated the one-year anniversary of his business Saturday. (Staff photo / Takaaki Iwabu)

The Colony Theater

The Rialto originally began life as the Colony. But in more recent decades, the theater at Six Forks and Millbrook roads owned that name, showing art house films to a less-downtown crowd.

Closed: 2015.

Fans line up outside the Colony Theater, now the Rialto Theater, to see The Lawton Story of the Prince of Peace, January 1950.
Fans line up outside the Colony Theater, now the Rialto Theater, to see The Lawton Story of the Prince of Peace, January 1950.

A toast to Harrelson Hall, Catalano House and other lost landmarks of Raleigh character