Capital Theatre
1237-45 N. 52nd Street,
Philadelphia,
PA
19131
1237-45 N. 52nd Street,
Philadelphia,
PA
19131
4 people
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One of Philadelphia’s last neighborhood theaters, the Capital survived into the 1990s and even managed to snag a few first-run bookings in its final years. Thalheimer & Weitz were the architects and it appears that the theater was originally named the Apollo. Real estate records currently show the building as retail space.
Contributed by
RickB
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Recent comments (view all 30 comments)
That was the beauty of growing up in West Philly during the late ‘60s thru mid '70s — The Capital. It was “the place to be” for good movies especially if you didn’t want to travel to Center City. I lived one block away on 53rd & Thompson. The big neon “CAPITAL,” the unusual zigzag auditorium, the wondrous curtains, the popcorn, the cheesy Kung Fu flicks (Enter The Dragon!) Yeah, sweet memories!
My mom and I were there one day in the early ‘70s and my neighbor had to buy a ticket just to come get us because our washer overflowed and water seeped over into their house. The last movie I saw there was “Scarface” in '84.
1983 photo of the Capitol Theatre.
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The Apollo can be seen on the left in this 1956 photo:
http://tinyurl.com/oxwdn4
Can someone please tell me what was the last movie that played at the Capital? My family and i have been disputing this for years now!
If it did not survive past this June 23, 1992, “Class Act” would have been the last feature.
DEMISE OF CAPITAL MARKS END OF AN ERA
The Capital Theater in West Philadelphia – the last surviving soldier in a battle between city neighborhood theaters and the big chains – has closed. Unless beleaguered owner Paul Klieman can arrange new business terms with the major movie distributors, the landmark theater at 1237 N. 52nd will have shown its last feature, “Class Act.” If the Capital remains closed – and Klieman said he is not hopeful of recovery – Philadelphia will have said goodbye to an era of…
Here is a circa 1960s photo from the Irvin Glazer collection:
http://tinyurl.com/pkq5hq
Anyone interested in PAB photos can sign up for a free account and view the original hi-res photos. PAB website
From the PAB web site.
Permission to reproduce material from the collection must be granted in writing and is at the discretion of The Athenaeum. All permission is granted on a per-use basis. Images may not be altered (aside from cropping) without special permission. The user of supplied reproductions assumes all responsibilities for using them in conformity with existing copyright laws, and may be required to supply The Athenaeum with a copy of any publication or project in which the images appear. The Athenaeum reserves the right to refuse to reproduce any item in its collections.
Here is a good view of the theater building:
http://tinyurl.com/y878n7j
You can get the same view by hitting the mapping button in the header.