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The Capitol Theatre is a former
Knight Property Group
to renovate the front third of the building and replace the derelict auditorium wit
a modern ten storey building
The building is now open as office space over 9 levels and 72,600 sq. ft.
Plans were prepared for a new cinema on the site of the Electric Cinema by Clement George in 1927, at the request of owners Aberdeen Picture Palaces. George adapted them in 1931 and formed a partnership with fellow Aberdeen architect A. Marshall MacKenzie. George died in February 1932 before his plans could be realised, and Marshall MacKenzie's son, Alexander G. R. MacKenzie, took over. He adapted George's plans, taking a Modernist influence.
David Stokes was enlisted to design the building's interior, redesigned from the original plans to his specifications. Of the building's total estimated cost of £60-70,000, £40,000 of this is thought to have been spent on the interiors alone.
Alexander 'Crooky' Cruickshank, the project's consulting engineer, showed architectural students around the completed building. Of particular interest was the 38-ton balcony cantilever, the largest in the North East of Scotland at the time.
The Capitol Theatre is a former cinema
Cinema may refer to:
Film
* Cinematography, the art of motion-picture photography
* Film or movie, a series of still images that create the illusion of a moving image
** Film industry, the technological and commercial institutions of filmmaking
...
and concert venue at 431 Union Street in Aberdeen
Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), a ...
, Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to ...
.
The Capitol opened on Saturday, 4 February 1933, on the site of the earlier Electric Cinema. It seated 2,100, to the plans of architects Alexander G.R. Mackenzie and Clement George. In 1933, the Capitol was Aberdeen's most luxurious cinema, with full stage facilities, a Holophane lighting system and a Compton Organ.
In addition to functioning as a cinema, The Capitol featured regular stage shows and these gradually became the venue's focus. The venue showed its final film in 1995 and closed in 1998, with the exception of a bar at the front of the building.
In the early 2000s, The Capitol was converted into a nightclub. At this stage, the rear section of the building was largely remodelled and many of the remaining features removed. The nightclub closed in 2009.
The Capitol is a category B listed building
In the United Kingdom, a listed building or listed structure is one that has been placed on one of the four statutory lists maintained by Historic England in England, Historic Environment Scotland in Scotland, in Wales, and the Northern Ir ...
. In September 2013, planning permission was granted foKnight Property Group
to renovate the front third of the building and replace the derelict auditorium wit
a modern ten storey building
The building is now open as office space over 9 levels and 72,600 sq. ft.
Construction
Plans were prepared for a new cinema on the site of the Electric Cinema by Clement George in 1927, at the request of owners Aberdeen Picture Palaces. George adapted them in 1931 and formed a partnership with fellow Aberdeen architect A. Marshall MacKenzie. George died in February 1932 before his plans could be realised, and Marshall MacKenzie's son, Alexander G. R. MacKenzie, took over. He adapted George's plans, taking a Modernist influence.
David Stokes was enlisted to design the building's interior, redesigned from the original plans to his specifications. Of the building's total estimated cost of £60-70,000, £40,000 of this is thought to have been spent on the interiors alone.
Alexander 'Crooky' Cruickshank, the project's consulting engineer, showed architectural students around the completed building. Of particular interest was the 38-ton balcony cantilever, the largest in the North East of Scotland at the time.
See also
*Aberdeen theatres and concert halls
Aberdeen has been the host of several theatres and concert halls through history. Some of them have been converted or destroyed over the years.
Theatres Theatre Royal
The former Theatre Royal in Marischal Street is now a church
The Theatre R ...
References
* * Theatres in Aberdeen Cinemas in Scotland Category B listed buildings in Aberdeen Music venues in Aberdeen {{Scotland-struct-stub