The Empire Theater

Summer is the prime time on the island and one place to unwind out of the heat is The Empire Theatre, built in 1882 and first serving as a roller rink. By 1897 it was used as a church, ballroom and for storage, later becoming a theater and by the early 20th century a place that showed silent movies. It closed by the 1980s but reopened in 1993 (showing the film “Alive”) and continues to thrive as the island’s sole movie theater, located in the thick of Block Island activities and near the ferry, restaurants and hotels.