First known as Teatro La Paz (Peace Theatre), this cultural arts center was built about 1912 by Juan Bautista Barbera, a native of Spain who came to the United States in 1905. A bricklayer by profession, Barbera brought films, lecturers, actors, and musicians to his theatre. Enrique Flores bought the property and business in 1945 and changed its name to the Rio Theatre. The vernacular commercial structure continues to be a center for cultural events in Mission.
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