Tooele’s historic Ritz Theater to reopen under city ownership thanks to courteous donation

Derick Fox
·2 min read

TOOELE, Utah (ABC4) — In June 2023, the historic 84-year-old Ritz Theater in downtown Tooele said it would be playing its last show before shutting down for good. Now, not only will the theater be turning on its projectors once more, it will be coming back with some improvements.

The theater has been a staple on Tooele’s Main Street since it opened in 1939. With the tagline “Tooele’s place for movies,” the historic showhouse rotated movies weekly, showing Hollywood’s latest blockbusters at a low and affordable price. However, after showing “The Super Mario Bros. Movie” in June, the theater’s owners Alan and Mickie Bradshaw decided it was time to retire.

After six months of closed doors, Tooele City Mayor Debbie Winn announced the theater was now under new ownership.

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Winn said the Aaron Peterson Family and the Peterson Industrial Group — who owns the Peterson Industrial Depot and the Erda Drive-In Theater — not only purchased the Ritz Theater, he donated it to the Tooele City Arts Council.

“Aaron Peterson’s donation of the property — which appraised at nearly $1 million — is a historic investment in the community,” said Winn in a city newsletter. “We cannot thank him enough for his role in preserving this piece of Tooele’s heritage. We appreciate the Tooele City Arts Council for their eagerness and excitement to take on this new opportunity.”

Winn said the Ritz Theater will continue to operate as a movie theater. Under the Tooele City Arts Council, it will also be able to host music, dance, as well as other cultural events and meetings. Tooele City and the Arts Council are reportedly working to secure grants to help facilitate the theater’s improvements and said there would be opportunities in the Spring for volunteers to help clean up the area.

There is no set date for when the theater will open its doors again, but Mayor Winn said the Tooele City Arts Council will soon release plans for a grand re-opening.

“We are fortunate to have a community (and the Peterson Family) who cares about our history and the spaces we have to gather,” said Winn.

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