Capitol Theatre, Melbourne

Capitol Theatre

RMIT Building 113
Capitol Theatre, Swanston Street facade
Address	113 Swanston Street Melbourne, Victoria Australia
Owner	RMIT
Designation	Victorian Heritage Register
Capacity	600
Current use	Education, events
Construction
Opened	1924
Architect	Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin

The Capitol Theatre is a single screen cinema located in Melbourne, Australia (opposite the Melbourne Town Hall). The theatre was opened in 1924. On 20 May 1999, it was purchased by Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT University), and is currently used for both university lectures and cultural events such as film and comedy festivals. Until its reopening in 1999 after being closed after a period of inactivity in the early 1990s, it was one of the few cinemas capable of screening films in standard 35 mm format as well as the more cumbersome yet visually superior 70 mm format. Today it is still capable of showing 35 mm films along with educational 16 mm films and documentaries as well as the modern DVD format.

The Capitol Theatre was commissioned by a group of Melbourne businessmen, including the Greek Consul-General Anthony JJ Lucas, and was designed by the renowned US architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, and today is considered the finest interior design work by this talented couple. Lucas had worked previously with Griffin on the development of both the Vienna Cafe as well as his own property Yamala in Frankston. The official plans for the Capitol were submitted for approval on 21 November 1921, and after being approved on 9 February 1923 construction began and was completed in 1924. It was officially opened on 7 November 1924. The theatre itself and ten-storey office block above it, are registered with the Australian Heritage Commission, the National Trust and Heritage Victoria. The building belongs to the interwar period and the architectural style is Chicagoesque. It was described by the leading architect and academic Robin Boyd as "the best cinema that was ever built or is ever likely to be built". Originally seating 2137 (stalls 1306, balcony 633, loges and boxes 198). During the 1930s, the seating capacity was reduced to 2115 people. The theatre was considered an architectural masterpiece, and has continued to receive critical acclaim ever since its first opening.