Capitol Arts Theatre

Built around 1890 under the name Columbia Theatre. On March 21, 1921 it was renamed Capitol Theatre, reopening with Constance Talmadge in “Dangerous Business”. On March 23, 1939 it was reopened following a complete rebuild in budget Art Deco style as a cinema with a small stage. The multi-colored neon marquee is quite handsome. The lobby is simple and tasteful. The auditorium, is quite, quite plain with only some simple cove lighting and a decorative proscenium. The auditorium retains its old plan: two aisles, fifteen seats across the middle, seven (or so) seats at the sides.

The cinema closed in 1971 and stood empty for almost 10 years. Capitol Arts bought the building in 1977 and by 1981 had raised almost $2 million and successfully renovated the entire building.

Unlike many small-town cinemas which have been rebuilt as community arts centers, this building was able to make the transition and retain almost its entire original configuration. Auditorium space did not need to be stolen to expand the stage or create a lobby. Additional square footage was obtained for offices and art galleries by opening into the former retail spaces on either side of the lobby.

In order to accommodate modern stage lighting a metal truss was introduced into the auditorium from which lighting instruments could be safely and effectively mounted. That truss is an intrusion to the room’s otherwise clean, straight lines, but the additional visual interest, even if something of an anachronism for a 1930’s theatre, is not unwelcome. And let’s face it: you have to have lights.

The Capitol continues to operate successfully and once again is a major contributor to the city’s entertainment venues.

Recent comments (view all 18 comments)

Mike Rogers on November 7, 2010 at 8:46 pm

Well, someone explain to me How THE CAPITOL closed in 1967 when on Jan 1 1969 it was playing “THE IMPOSSIBLE YEARS” you guys got a date wrong.Check the local paper MOVIE ADS like I do.

TLSLOEWS on November 8, 2010 at 4:37 am

Great looking marquee on this one.

Silk76 on January 14, 2011 at 11:23 pm

This place is classic. When I first moved to Bowling Green from Chicago in 1992, I spent my first New year with my ex-wife here, as the town was doing “First Night” I got to see Jeff Foxworthy, and talk to him after. If I can get some pics of the inside, I’ll post them.

rivest266 on June 19, 2015 at 2:35 pm

Listings ended in 1971 as a cinema. 1971 page at https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=pa0cAAAAIBAJ&sjid=gEYEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7098%2C3732537

DavidZornig on October 4, 2017 at 8:13 am

Hemmings Motor News article with a photo of the Capitol during the Corvette Homecoming.

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2017/10/03/national-corvette-homecoming-for-sale-by-current-owner/#comments-block

rivest266 on June 4, 2020 at 9:32 am

The Capitol theatre opened on March 21st, 1921. Rebuilt and reopened on March 23rd, 1939. Grand opening ads posted.
Capitol theatre reopening Thu, Mar 23, 1939 – 13 · The Park City Daily News (Bowling Green, Kentucky) · Newspapers.com

rivest266 on June 4, 2020 at 12:07 pm

Opened March 21st, 1921. Grand opening ad posted.

SethG on August 5, 2022 at 12:35 pm

The information about the Columbia theater is wrong. There was never an ‘opera house’ on this block. No movie theaters appear until the 1914 map, when there are two. There were two two-story brick commercial buildings on this lot, both built before 1886.

Joe Vogel on August 10, 2022 at 8:00 pm

The Columbia Theatre appears to have been a new build in 1911, not an old vaudeville theater or opera house, as some sources claim. The February 14, 1911 issue of The Nickelodeon announced the plans for the house “…to be located in the new Rabold Building….” by the Columbia Theater Company, already operators of 14 theaters in various regions.

I’ve been unable to discover if Tony Sudekum’s Crescent Amusement Company took over the project from Columbia before or after the house opened, but Crescent was definitely in control of the Columbia by 1913. The Rabold family owned quite a bit of property in Bowling Green, including the building in which Crescent opened the Princess Theatre in 1914.

SethG on August 10, 2022 at 8:15 pm

The Capitol was not built until sometime after 1914. The two older buildings are still on that map, and the eastern one contains a movie theater. I don’t think the Capitol was constructed until 1921, and I don’t think it was ever the Columbia. I also don’t think the Columbia was the name of the theater appearing on the 1914 map, since that was in a pre-1886 storefront, not any newly constructed building.