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Resource Number: 5BL 7993 Temporary Resource Number: 157508414004 In 1927, Santino Biella purchased the Rex Theatre at 817 Main St. and continued its operation with Mary. They owned and operated it until 1945. (Current Louisville residents also recall the building as the location of Senor T's Restaurant from the 1970s, when the movie theatre closed, until 2008.) The following photo shows the Rex as it looked in about 1919 (exterior) and about 1915 (entrance): reu:aer / ei \m�mll�l�p�,,,, _ _ mr:atnul. Rex Theatre circa 1919, Louisville Historical Museum E-B N-9 Rex Theatre circa 1915, Louisville Historical Museum E-N N-8 Santino ran the business side and Mary sold tickets at the Rex Theatre. According to a 1994 Louisville Historian article, which was assembled and edited by Sandy and Mary Biella's niece, Eileen Schmidt, "Shortly after Sandy and Mary Biella became owners of the Rex, the movie industry was booming and the Rex became a first -run facility. This meant that the moves were shown in Louisville at the same time they were being viewed in Denver and other larger cities. This was very important because people didn't have the means of traveling to the larger cities just to see a movie." The Biellas acquired a player piano that used punched paper rolls. Hazel Zarini Harris (the younger sister of Mary Zarini Biella), Vito Romans, and others performed the role of operating the player piano. The article goes on: "Mr. Biella offered part-time jobs, such as dusting the seats, sweeping the front lobby, sweeping the theater, and other work necessary to maintain the building to the young people of the community." The motion pictures were remembered as changing three times a week: "One movie was shown on Sunday and Monday, one on Tuesday and Wednesday, no movies on Thursday, and a different one on Friday and Saturday." Biella also instituted 4