E.M. Loew's Capitol Theatre

The Mayflower theatre ceased operations in 1921. However, it was given a new lease of life when it reopened on September 4th, 1923, this time under the name Capitol. Unfortunately, its newspaper advertisements came to an end in 1933. But the story doesn’t end there! In a remarkable twist, the theater was revived once more on August 30th, 1946, thanks to the efforts of E. M. Loews. ads posted.

In addition to its location outside Providence’s main shopping and theater district, the Capitol had a design issue that probably contributed to the difficulty of operating it as a movie theater. The 1909-1910 Cahn guide describes The Imperial’s seating arrangement as 484 in the orchestra, 388 in the balcony, 40 in boxes, and a whopping 800 in the gallery.

As the stage, though 40 feet deep from footlights to back wall, was only 65 feet between side walls, the whole theater must have been fairly narrow, but the limited seating capacity of the orchestra suggests that the main floor was not very deep, either. The enormous gallery must have been high and steep, and considerably deeper than the main floor, and thus poorly suited for watching a screen set within the 35-foot wide proscenium. The lower seating capacity in the theater’s later years must have resulted from the closing of the gallery, or at least the greater part of it.

The Theatre Historical Society has the MGM Theatre Report for the Capitol; it’s Card # 540. There is an exterior photo taken May 1941. The address is “Westminster”. Condition is Fair. It was over 15 years old, and was not showing MGM films. The seating was given as 2,000 which seems too high.

In September 1922 this theatre was part of Rhode Island’s Paramount Week. Click to see the ad in Providence News, September 1, 1922, which contains a list of all participating theatres as well as the films shown that week.

PART ONE OF AD
PART TWO OF AD

This old postcard image also comes from around 1907. It was mailed in 1909. Notice the signs for the Imperial on the left. The Imperial itself is on the right, decked out in the colors.

This old postcard image shows the theatre in the first decade of the 20th Century when it was called the Imperial. The theatre, on the right, can be seen with all its fire-escape structure. The “Imperial” sign on the left may have been added in the printing of the postcard. It doesn’t look like a billboard. Images of this theatre are extremely rare.

It is not true that the Capitol, as stated above, made way for Interstate 95. An aerial view of the area from the early 1960s shows us Route 95 nearing completion. One can clearly make out the Capitol Theatre well east of it. The exact spot is today a parking lot, between Washington Street and the Diocese of Providence Auditorium. If you are driving into the city on Westminster Street, you cross the bridge over the expressway toward the Diocesan Auditorium. Turn left and the lot where the theatre used to be is to the left of that auditorium. Before the Weybosset Hill renewal one could continue (had the traffic pattern allowed) straight through into downtown along that portion of Westminster Street that no longer exists. You could have taken a right down a portion of Weybosset Street that no longer exists. So the Capitol was at the precise intersection of Westminster and Weybosset Streets at what was known as Cathedral Square. That intersection/swquare is gone. The Diocese of Providence could have purchased that historic theatre and used it as their diocesan auditorium and office building instead of building a new one!

Here is a photo of the exterior of the theatre when it was known as the Imperial in its first years. You can see why Roger Brett refers to the front as “a jungle of fire escapes and ladders.”

My June 18 posting above of the time-line of name changes for this theatre (as filed on a PPL card) doesn’t include the name Shubert, which it was called from 1906 for few years.

In his book Temples of Illusion Roger Brett writes of the Imperial’s history:

“The Imperial Theater was large, handsome and well designed. It was one of the best ever built in town and it opened [September 22, 1902] with none other than The Four Cohans (including George M.) in their hit musical comedy The Governor’s Son. Its beginnings could not have been more promising, yet it was born under a hex and, despite several fresh starts, could not escape its fate. Like a high-born derelict, it wound up on skid row as E. M. Loew’s Capitol Theater, a ‘scratch-house’ if there ever was one….

“Impressive as it was on the inside, the Imperial was decidedly unimperial on the Cathedral Square façade. Above the lobby and two flanking shops, were the bachelor apartments, completely separated from the auditorium by a fire wall. They rose five floors high and because they were apartments, they were provided with fire escapes. The entire front of this building was, in all probability, the largest jungle of fire escapes and ladders that have ever defaced the streets of Providence. They looked as if they had been erected by a demented crew of iron workers who didn’t know when to stop.”

PROVIDENCE THEATRES: “TEMPLES OF ILLUSION"
A book called "Temples of Illusion,” by Roger Brett, was published in 1976. It is Mr. Brett’s detailed history of all the old downtown area theatres of Providence from 1871 to 1950. It includes numerous rare photos, a list of theatres with name changes, and a map to show exactly where they all were. The book is an invaluable resource and is owned by many libraries in the R.I. CLAN system. I found a copy for sale online and will use it as a reference for future postings.

The theatre first opened as the Imperial in 1902. At the start it was primarily a a theatrical venue before switching to movies. In the end it was considered a “scratch house” because of its cheapness and by then its shabbiness (although it was a theatre of remarkable character beneath all that.)

The Capitol was previously known as the Colonial Theatre. A 1915 city directory gives the same address for the Colonial that the Capitol had: 569 ½ Westminster Street. According to a 1940 Providence Journal Almanac entry, the seating capacity of the Capitol was 996. The theatre was part of the E.M. Loew’s chain.

That bus, mentioned above, would first go by the R.K.O. Albee and what was then called the Westminster Playhouse, both on Westminster Street, both now gone, before passing the Capitol.