Overview

Australia’s Capitol Theatre in the Haymarket suburb of Sydney was designed by architect Henry White in conjunction with John Eberson, in an Italian Garden design which was very similar to Eberson’s Riviera Theatre, now called the Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center, in Omaha Nebraska.

Stuart F. Doyle, head of Union Theatres, visited America in May 1927 with his local architect Henry White. Contemporary newspaper articles show Eberson touring Doyle and his wife around the Riviera Theatre in Omaha (now the Rose Blumkin Performing Arts Center) which was intended to be duplicated for both the Sydney and Perth theatres.

Following the U.S. visit, Doyle imported designs from John Eberson which were adapted as necessary by Union Theatre’s architect Henry White. White completed plans for the Ambassador’s and the Capitol just two months after visiting the Omaha theatre, demonstrating that they were adapted rather than created from scratch.

This is a stub article pending further historical analysis and research.