Capitol Theatre

The Capitol Theatre, located on Main Street in Moncton, New Brunswick, was built in 1922 to the plans of Canadian architect Rene-Arthur Frechet. It was opened on October 6, 1922 by the Torrie & Winter chain. Both the Capitol Theatre and the Empress Theatre were destroyed by a fire on 25th March 1926. The Capitol Theatre was rebuilt and reopened on October 26, 1926. Originally designed for cinema and small live performances, it peaked in 1928 as a vaudeville and large-scale entertainment venue. It subsequently became a movie house and remained independent until Odeon Theatres took over on September 11, 1945. In 1977 it was taken over by Canadian Odeon. In 1984 it was taken over by Empire Theatres. After closing on November 14, 1991, the theatre was purchased by the city of Moncton and restored with the support of Moncton, Riverview and Dieppe.

During the preliminary renovations, which were intended to create a performing arts centre for the area, Hannivan and Company of Toronto made a fantastic discovery: The original frescos, murals, gilding, fire curtain and stenciling were buried under layers of paint. This recovered decor was to be some of the most elaborate work of famed theatre decorator Emmanuel Briffa. It reopened on September 8, 1993 as a performing arts center.

The Capitol Theatre is now a designated Heritage Property of the City of Moncton and a Provincial Historic Site.

Recent comments (view all 5 comments)

pnelson on November 9, 2015 at 5:27 pm

Would be nice to see interior. Sounds beautiful. Nice marquee and exterior.

rivest266 on October 4, 2024 at 2:17 pm

Opened October 6th, 1922, by Torrie & Winter. Grand opening ad posted.

rivest266 on October 5, 2024 at 5:58 am

The Capitol theatre was taken over by Odeon theatres on September 11th, 1945 and Canadian Odeon theatres in 1977 and Empire Theatres in 1984. Empire theatres closed it on November 14th, 1991 and it was restored and reopened as a performing arts center on September 8th, 1993.

rivest266 on October 5, 2024 at 6:59 am

The Capitol and Empress theatres were destroyed by fire on March 25th, 1926 and the Capitol theatre reopened on October 26th, 1926.

Capitol and Empress theatre fire 26 Mar 1926, Fri The Moncton Transcript (Moncton, Moncton Parish, New Brunswick, Canada) Newspapers.com

rivest266 on October 5, 2024 at 6:59 am

Fire pic: Capitol and Empress theatre fire 27 Mar 1926, Sat The Moncton Transcript (Moncton, Moncton Parish, New Brunswick, Canada) Newspapers.com