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.au

The Capitol Theatre of Melbourne is a building located on Swanston Street, opposite the Melbourne Town Hall. It was commissioned by a group of Melbourne businessmen including the Greek Consul General Anthony JJ Lucas and designed by Walter 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 by Robin 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 by RMIT 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 the Melbourne International Film Festival and Melbourne International Comedy Festival. In April, 2005, it was announced that the theatre would get a AUD$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]