The Villages has obtained a permit for interior demolition of the Rialto Theater at Spanish Springs Town Square.
The permit was issued this week by the Town of Lady Lake.
Genesis Health Clubs, which purchased the MVP Athletic Clubs at Spanish Springs and Brownwood in May, will be moving from La Reina building at Spanish Springs to the shuttered movie theater.
The Rialto Theater, which originally opened in 1998, closed for a planned renovation in December 2019. Within months, the COVID-19 pandemic swept the nation closing movie theaters from coast to coast. As the pandemic waned and other movie theaters eventually reopened, the Rialto Theater remained closed.
The Barnstorm Theater at Brownwood is also closed.
The Old Mill Playhouse at Lake Sumter Landing is the lone theater operating in The Villages.