- Capitol Theatre, Melbourne
Infobox Theatre
name = Capitol Theatre
caption = Swanston Street facade
address = 113 Swanston Street
city =Melbourne
country =Australia
designation =Victorian Heritage Register
latitude =
longitude =
architect =Walter Burley Griffin
owner =
capacity =
type =
opened = 1924
yearsactive = Since 1924
rebuilt =
closed =
othernames =
production =
currentuse = university lectures, comedy
website = www.capitol.rmit.edu.auThe Capitol Theatre of
Melbourne is a building located onSwanston Street , opposite theMelbourne Town Hall . It was commissioned by a group of Melbourne businessmen including the Greek Consul GeneralAnthony JJ Lucas and designed byWalter Burley Griffin . Lucas had worked previously with Burley Griffin on the development of both the "Vienna Cafe" and his own property "Yamala" in Frankston. [cite web
url=http://www.griffinsociety.org/Lives_and_Works/a_melbourne.html
title=Walter Burley Griffin Society - Melbourne
publisher=www.griffinsociety.org
accessdate=2008-04-06] Construction began in 1921 and was completed in 1924. It was once described byRobin Boyd as "the best cinema that was ever built or is ever likely to be built. [Robin Boyd , "The Australian ",24 December 1965 ]The building design belongs to the interwar period, and the
architectural style is Chicagoesque. The spectacular interior foyers were remodelled in the 1960s to make way for the Capitol Arcade, however the spectacular theatre has been retained.The Theatre is listed on the
Victorian Heritage Register . It was purchased byRMIT University in 1999 and is currently used by the university for both university lectures and events. It is also used as a venue for both theMelbourne International Film Festival andMelbourne International Comedy Festival . In April, 2005, it was announced that the theatre would get aAUD $190,000 upgrade, [cite web
url=http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse/News%20and%20Events%2FNews%2FAnnouncements%2Fby%20title%2F;ID=anr3fw6hdq631;STATUS=A
title=RMIT - Capitol Theatre gets $190,000 upgrade
publisher=www.rmit.edu.au
accessdate=2008-04-06] including repairs to the ornamental ceiling.References
External links
* [http://www.rmit.edu.au/browse/About%20RMIT%2FHeritage%2FRMIT's%20historical%20buildings%2FCapitol%20Theatre/ RMIT Capitol website]
* [http://www.heritage.vic.gov.au/page_239.asp?submit_action=detailed_result&ID=239&KW1=capitol&query=e82db8dc6517362a4a25678b00095532/0afe1306a0e6c4a5ca2571680018d563?OpenDocument&Highlight=0,capitol Heritage listing]
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