Capitol Theatre
311 Polk Street,
Amarillo,
TX
79189
311 Polk Street,
Amarillo,
TX
79189
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The Capitol Theatre was operating since at least 1941. It was destroyed in a fire in December 1954.
Contributed by
Ken McIntyre
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
There is a photo of a building at 311 N. Polk on this site. I don’t know if it’s the former Capitol:
http://www.sealing.com/locations/
It would depend on what the correct address is for this theater. Is it North Polk or South Polk?
I don’t remember what my source was when I added the theater. I can’t tell you if it was N. or S.
Here is an article from the Albuquerque Tribune dated 12/21/54:
AMARILLO, Tex., Dec. 21â€"An early morning fire that apparently had been smoldering for hours gutted the Capitol Theater in downtown Amarillo today. A score of guests in an adjoining second floor hotel fled to safety. A small jewelry store and barber shop flanking the lobby of the theater were damaged badly by smoke and water. The fire began in the back of the building from a still undetermined cause.
The address was 311 S. Polk St., and the header should be closed/demolished.
Here is another article on the fire from the Dallas Morning News.
AMARILLO, Texas,—-Fire destroyed a theater here Tuesday and routed 10 guests in an adjoining second-floor hotel.
Firemen said the blaze apparently smouldered for hours before flames burst through the roof of the Capitol Theater, one of Amarillo’s oldest.
The roof collapsed and spread the blaze to the seats below.
There were no reported injuries.
An Amarillo newsboy reported the fire at 4:19 a.m. It was out of control before fire companies arrived.
Guests in the hotel said they smelled smoke earlier, but couldn’t locate its source.
A small jewelry store and barber shop flanking the theater lobby suffered heavy smoke damage, but the hotel and a bar below were saved by a fire wall.
The blaze apparently started in the rear of the theater, but the cause was not known. No damage estimate was given.
The theater was owned by the Richard Coon Hospital estate of Dalhart and was operated by Trans-Texas Theaters, Inc., with headquarters in Dallas.
W. H. Coon of Dalhart, a trustee of the estate, said he couldn’t estimate the loss until he made an inspection.
Dallas Morning News, Dallas, TX 22 Dec 1954
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