Capitol Theater
114 State Street,
Elmira,
NY
14901
114 State Street,
Elmira,
NY
14901
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Dipson Circuit
Architects: Carl W. Tanner
Styles: Streamline Moderne
Previous Names: Amusu Theatre
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The Amusu Theatre was opened July 28, 1913 with “Mexican Conspiracy Outgeneraled”. The manager was A.L. Walter. It was renamed Capitol Theater on October 5, 1925 with Richard Dix in “The Lucky Devil”. It was remodeled in 1949 to the plans of Elmira architect Carl W. Tanner. It had a major makeover in the late-1950’s, glass doors, streamlined front. It was owned and operated by the Dipson chain of Batavia, NY from at least the early-1940’s on.
The Capitol Theater was inundated in the 1972 flood and was remodeled. The Chemung Canal bank aquired it in the 1980’s for an expanded parking lot. I remember it always featured films for a non-youth audience, those played the Elmira Theater across the street or the Colonial Theater two blocks west.
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
The listing of 1500 seats for this theatre is way off; it was a fairly small building, all mezzanine and no balcony. I think that at maximum it probably held 500, probably less.
Dipson use to book all the bigger prestige pictures into this house, which I always thought was strange, given that they also had the much larger Elmira just down the street. * Oliver!, Fiddler on the Roof, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Godfather, Rocky * all played long runs here.
Last renovation was 1980; the theatre was closed for three weeks for new seats, new projection and new Dolby stereo sound prior to reopening for * The Empire Strikes Back*.
This opened on October 5th, 1925. Grand opening ad in the photo section.
The Capitol is the 1913 Amusu remodeled in 1925. Also remodeled in the late 50’s and after the 1972 flood. The Capitol was the smallest and least grand of the downtown theaters.
I saw EMPIRE STRIKES BACK here. Also, BRAZIL. (I think STREETS OF FIRE, too.) Nice house.