Capitol Theatre

The Capitol was still standing in 1985 when fire swept through the three-story building next door. The address for the burned building (on the corner of Atlantic and Maryland) is given in the Press story as 821 Atlantic, which would make 819 or 817 a likely address for the theater. The theater in the picture accompanying the fire story is the small one seen in the photo linked in 2010. All of the buildings in that picture are gone except for the one signed as Lou’s Bar, which is a restaurant numbered 805.

Based on the photo posted directly above by kencmcintyre on March 22, 2010, there was a second smaller one story Capitol Theatre at 929 Atlantic Avenue which is still standing. The two buildings to it’s right are also still standing in the October 2019 street view. However it is not the same Capitol Theatre pictured above the Overview, which is clearly a two story structure whose address we still don’t know. Though I’ve found a reference to a Capitol Theatre at 827 Atlantic Avenue, which was likely this larger one. As that address is just as close to the intersection of Maryland Avenue and Atlantic Avenue as the small Capitol Theatre in the 2010 linked photo.

Was this theater ON Maryland, rather than on Atlantic? Can you help me pinpoint which corner it was on?

Nearer the ocean or farther from the ocean? Nearer Captain Starn’s or nearer the convention center?

Is this building still standing?

I worked there in thr mid-seveties for Al Baker. The manager was an AC cop, I think his name was Mike Freil. I ran a lot of 16mm XXX films there. The 35mm equipment was Super simplex projectors & very early model of the Peerless Magnarc carbon lamps. I ran a 35mm film there called “Snuff” It was shot in Mexico and suposedly showed a guy really killing people by cutting them up while they were tied dowm! It was sick! To get to the booth, I remember going out a back door at the back of the autitorium, and up some real skinny metal steps. The Center & the Astor were kind of like that too.

Here’s a link to an original un-used Capitol Theatre ticket. Saved from the flames as the Capitol Theatre burned.
http://members.aol.com/d6mx/private/ticket1.jpg

I only remember this as a Burlesque theater in the 60’s and 70’s.
In the summer they had live Burlesque (we are talking baggy pants comics and strippers like Blaze Starr, Busty Russell, etc). In the fall through spring they showed the grind house porn of that era. The theatre was owned and operated by Al Baker, who also operated the Troc Burlesque in Philadelphia. The only time I recall a regular movie playing there was in 1965, when Thunderball moved over from the Beach Theatre, which was very unusual.