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Capitol Theater

Capitol Theater

Rockford, Illinois, USA

First Opened: 4th February 1928 (96 years ago)

Atmospheric Style: Spanish Garden

Architect: W.J. Van Der Meer

Address: 1122 S. Main Street, Rockford, IL 61101 Link opens in new window


Overview

The Capitol Theater was built in 1928 by Anthony Domino and Theodore Ingrassia for $175,000. The theatre opened in early February 1928 with The Sky Raider (1925) Link opens in new window starring Charles Nungesser.

Auditorium circa 2012
Auditorium circa 2012

The auditorium was completed in an Atmospheric style with a Spanish garden theme. The theatre featured a 3-manual, 9-rank Kilgen organ (opus 4008).

The exterior features four terracotta medallions on its façade. These are, from left to right, pianist/composer Anton Rubinstein, William Shakespeare, opera stars Enrico Caruso, and Giuseppe Verdi.

The Capitol Theater closed in the 1970s, and after being used as a billiard hall and a Mexican restaurant, it has sat dormant ever since. It has decayed substantially over the last ten years.

The theatre’s original cloud machine is now housed at the Coronado Performing Arts Center.

Further Reading

Online

Historic Photos & Documents
Opening date reported in the 17th January 1928 edition of the <i>Daily Register Gazette</i> (220KB PDF)
Opening date reported in the 17th January 1928 edition of the Daily Register Gazette (220KB PDF)
Opening date reported in the 17th January 1928 edition of <i>The Rockford Morning Star</i> (580KB PDF)
Opening date reported in the 17th January 1928 edition of The Rockford Morning Star (580KB PDF)
News of the theatre nearing completion, as reported in the 17th January 1928 edition of the <i>Rockford Republic</i> (660KB PDF)
News of the theatre nearing completion, as reported in the 17th January 1928 edition of the Rockford Republic (660KB PDF)
New of the theatre’s imminent opening, as reported in the 3rd February 1928 edition of the <i>Rockford Republic</i> (1.1MB PDF)
New of the theatre’s imminent opening, as reported in the 3rd February 1928 edition of the Rockford Republic (1.1MB PDF)
New of the theatre’s opening, as reported in the 4th February 1928 edition of <i>The Rockford Morning Star</i> (1.1MB PDF)
New of the theatre’s opening, as reported in the 4th February 1928 edition of The Rockford Morning Star (1.1MB PDF)
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Photos of the Capitol Theater

Photo credits are noted where data was available at the time of inclusion. Photos displayed here may be subject to copyright; refer to our Copyright Fair Use Statement regarding our use of copyrighted media and contact us Contact Us with any concerns.

Photos
Capitol Theater: Auditorium circa 2012, courtesy <i>Rockford Rocked on Facebook</i>
Auditorium circa 2012, courtesy Rockford Rocked on Facebook
Capitol Theater: Exterior (May 2019), courtesy <i>Google</i>
Exterior (May 2019), courtesy Google
Capitol Theater: Auditorium circa 2021, courtesy Cinema Treasures user <i>HHPhotography</i>
Auditorium circa 2021, courtesy Cinema Treasures user HHPhotography


Photographs copyright © 2002-2024 Mike Hume / Historic Theatre Photos unless otherwise noted.

Text copyright © 2017-2024 Mike Hume / Historic Theatre Photos.

For photograph licensing and/or re-use contact me here Contact Us.





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