"I always said this wasn't going to become condos," James Taylor told IndyStar before the Rivoli Theatre's new marquee went up. "This building has always served our neighborhood, and our duty and our responsibility and our stewardship is to ensure in its next iteration, it continues to be a public space serving our community."
On Oct. 24, the sign at 3155 E. 10th St. came on, and the vertical blade with its smiling and frowning theater masks was lit again. Mirror Indy counted more than 100 people at the unveiling, which John Boner Neighborhood Centers hosted and U.S. Rep. André Carson attended. The theater itself stays closed for years yet. Most of what's open on this stretch of East 10th Street was built in the smaller buildings around the Rivoli, and those spaces are where the corridor's arts programming happens now.
What changed on Oct. 24, and what didn't
Universal Studios opened the Rivoli in 1927 as a 1,500-seat, single-screen house. According to Mirror Indy, it was the first cinema in Indiana to show movies with sound. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2004. Indiana Landmarks then put it on its Most Endangered lists in 2015 and 2016.
The new marquee is a replica. IndyStar reported that the original had deteriorated too far to restore, so Ignition Arts built a new one. A Lilly Endowment grant paid for a feasibility study of the building and its marquee. The money already lined up is a small share of the total cost:
| Piece of the project | Status as of the October unveiling |
|---|---|
| Marquee | Replica built by Ignition Arts, lit Oct. 24, 2026 |
| Exterior rehabilitation | $850,000 in federal Community Project Funding for windows, masonry, storefronts and clay roof tiles |
| Full renovation | Organizers estimate $16 million to $22 million |
| Reopening | Organizers hope for some time in the early 2030s |
| Future use | Still being decided with arts partners |
The federal award covers the outside of the building. It doesn't cover the interior, and the Rivoli Theatre's own site says partners are still deciding what the building will become. Inspire 10th Street LLC has owned the building since 2018. It is a partnership of John Boner Neighborhood Centers, Englewood Community Development Corporation and Near East Area Renewal, and it is working with the Indy Art Center to plan and raise money for the next phase. Taylor, the CEO of John Boner Neighborhood Centers, described the goal to IndyStar as an economically self-sustaining arts center that serves all income levels and meets the needs of artists and arts organizations. A straight return to its original use as a cinema isn't the plan.
A full schedule of films or concerts may come eventually, but nobody has committed to one. For now, the lit sign is about the building's exterior and its future, not a reopening date.
The district was built before the theater
The same Lilly money that paid for the feasibility study did more on the block. In 2018, the 10 East Art and Design district received $4.3 million from the Lilly Endowment. IndyStar reported that the grant paid for arts programming, public art, and the renovation and reuse of three smaller spaces: the 10 East Arts HUB, the pop-up space Re:Public and the outdoor Intermissions Plaza. The City of Indianapolis now lists 10 East Arts as an emerging cultural district centered on East 10th Street, with John Boner Neighborhood Centers as its guiding organization.
So the arts district was built in an unusual order. Usually a big venue opens first and smaller businesses follow. Here, the small spaces opened first while the 1,500-seat theater waited. Mark Williams, president and executive director of the Indy Art Center, explained the thinking to IndyStar: "The optimism comes from not looking at it as a theater development and looking at it more as a cultural destination that has multiple assets. It would be great if it was perceived as the Rivoli District."
Here are those spaces, from west to east along East 10th Street:
- Re:Public, 2301 E. 10th St. is a low-cost pop-up arts space where artists, creatives and organizations host programs and events.
- Cat Head Press, 3125 E. 10th St. is an artist-owned commercial print shop and printmaking retail store.
- 10 East Arts HUB, 3137 E. 10th St. is a multipurpose community space for live music, open mic nights, artisan markets, festivals and art-making.
- Intermissions Plaza, 3145 E. 10th St. is an outdoor green space for live music, art markets and festivals.
- The Rivoli, 3155 E. 10th St., with its new marquee.
- 1000 Words Gallery, 3328 E. 10th St. is a Black-owned gallery with rotating visual art exhibitions and community art programming.
Cat Head Press, the HUB, Intermissions Plaza and the Rivoli sit within about 30 street numbers of each other, so the core of the district is roughly one block. The Rivoli invited the public to Intermissions Plaza for the Oct. 24 unveiling.
How the fall season ended, and what's still on the calendar
On the night of the unveiling, Intermissions Plaza was also hosting its own event, "Blue Jeans & Overalls," from 6 to 8 p.m. It was the last of the 2026 Intermissions Plaza Art Pop-Up and Concert Series, which ran on the final Saturday of each month from July through October with music, visual art, dance and theater.
Other programming this fall moved indoors. Re:Public hosted Wednesday-evening North Star Capoeira Angola training with Mestre Iuri Santos of Bahia, Brazil, teaching the movement, rhythm and music of the Afro-Brazilian tradition. On Oct. 30, the HUB held "Room to Bloom," an evening of emotional literacy prompts followed by open studio time and community games. Earlier, on Sept. 4, 1000 Words Gallery was a stop on the free IndyEast Art Walk, which ran from Factory Arts to Tuxedo Street and marked the official opening of the Art in Unexpected Places public art initiative.
The next event listed on the corridor is "One Thousand and One Nights," which runs from 6 to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 14. Mirror Indy's November events roundup lists it at Re:Public, 2301 E. 10th St. Curator Fauzi Isaac of Proper Indy is staging the folk tales, also known as "The Arabian Nights," through poetry, music and visual art by local artists. Tickets are $12.51 on the event's Eventbrite page, which also has venue details.
After that, the calendars at 10 East Arts and 1000 Words Gallery are the places to watch for winter events on the street.
Food and drink along the corridor
The 10 East Arts directory of East 10th Street businesses includes neighborhood spots such as Rabble Coffee, Tick Tock Tavern, Sam's Square Pie, 10th Street Diner, Chuck's Coney Island and Beholder. Mayfair Taproom is listed at 2032 E. 10th St., and Gomez BBQ on 10th at 2827 E. 10th St. If you're planning dinner around the Nov. 14 event, check each place's current hours before you go.
What to expect from here
For the next several years, the Rivoli will look finished from the sidewalk while the inside waits. The exterior work is funded, the marquee is lit, and the $16 million to $22 million interior renovation still has to be planned and paid for, with an opening hoped for in the early 2030s. Until then, the events in this district will keep happening in the smaller spaces nearby: the HUB, Re:Public, Intermissions Plaza and the galleries and shops between them.
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