The Ritz Theatre was built in 1927 by William E. Butler for an estimated $400,000 and designed by the architectural firm Hodgens and Hill with 800 seats.

[4] It was built in a Classical Revival architectural style as a movie theater and opened on September 12, 1927, with the film Tillie the Toiler.

[2] The auditorium walls feature neo-classical canvas murals with gilt trimmed columns and velvet draped balconies enclosed by classic carved balustrades.

[5] Starting in March 1954 with The Lavender Hill Mob, through the 1960s, the Ritz showed fine art and foreign films.

[10] This initiative later turned into having Shadow Interpreters for the theatre's annual Christmas tradition of Scrooge in 2006 and 2008, as well as mainstage shows such as Arsenic and Old Lace in 2010.

[11] Also offered are holiday shows, special events, summer theatre camp, dramatic workshops and outreach programs.