PHOTOS: Capitol Theatre Celebrating 100 Years

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The Capitol Theatre’s long-awaited 100th anniversary celebration took place Saturday. The celebration year had been planned for 2020 but had to be postponed due to the pandemic.

The Capitol Theatre opened its doors on December 30th, 1920, as part of Loew’s vaudeville and film theatre chain and in 1930, it became part of the Famous Players movie houses chain.

In the late 1980s, Famous Players sold the building, and the new owner had slated the Capitol for demolition.

The Capitol Theatre was saved by arts community members and invested citizens in the early 1990s. The group secured public support, grants, and private donations to run the building.

In 2007 the Capitol Theatre and Arts Centre filed for bankruptcy. After three years of community rallies, letters of support, asset analysis, and many discussions by the City Council, the ownership of the Capitol Theatre officially reverted to The City of Windsor.

In 2011, the Windsor Symphony Orchestra entered into an agreement with the City of Windsor and became the managing tenant of the Capitol. The WSO agreed to manage the day-to-day operations of the building and to continue to provide a space accessible to the arts community.

The building was designated an Ontario Heritage Site in 1999.