As Ybor City peaked in population, the Rivoli Theater opened in 1917 near the business district. Its first big attraction was in 1918 with the showing of Over The Top, a silent war film starring Arthur Guy Empey. In December 1931, the building was remodeled, and the name was changed to The Ritz Theater. In 1945, the Ritz Theater Corp paid $4,000 to expand and renovate the front of the building. It was home to Royal Jewelers and Adorable Hat Shop. As Ybor City moved into a state of decline in the mid-century, efforts were made to bring people to the theater. Another major remodel and free movie parties on Saturdays in 1960 tried to draw a crowd, but it was of little help. Home televisions, people moving to suburban areas, and the blight of Ybor City took their toll on the movie house.

By the mid-1960s, the business was also called the Ritz Burlesque Theater. It made the news when in 1970, the county court filed an injunction banning the film Man and Wife, an Educational Film for Married Adults. By 1979, the Ritz was featuring all-nude performances, and by the 1980s, adult entertainer Candy Lane bared it all four to five times a day. While the popcorn and candy counter was still open, it also sold adult toys. The tide turned once again with yet another remodel in 1983. From 1992 to 2006, the Masquerade Nightclub partied here. With another $ 2 million renovation in 2008, the building reopened as The Ritz Ybor.   

 © Chip Weiner. All rights reserved