Capitol Theatre
149 Westchester Avenue,
Port Chester,
NY
10573
149 Westchester Avenue,
Port Chester,
NY
10573
5 people
favorited this theater
Except for the Thomas Lamb-designed Proctor’s New Rochelle, the Capitol Theatre is probably the most beautiful movie-vaudeville palace ever built in Westchester County. The auditorium, with its domed ceiling, side-wall boxes and draped archways, is very similar to the one that Thomas Lamb designed for the Fox Savoy Theatre in Brooklyn, which was built around the same time. Ironically, the Capitol Theatre, which opened under independent ownership in August, 1926, was acquired by William Fox in 1929, with management shifting to Skouras Theaters Corp. after his bankruptcy.
When Skouras closed the Capitol Theatre in 1966, music promoter Howard Stein took over and converted it into a rock palace. Crowds came from three states to attend the star-studded concerts, causing such havoc in Port Chester that the city government finally stopped them in 1971 by adopting a 1:00am curfew on live entertainment. Heavily damaged and plundered during the Stein regime, the Capitol Theatre became a XXX movie house before shutting down in 1976.
Seven years later, entrepeneur Marvin Ravikoff purchased the Capitol Theatre and began renovations while trying to find a format for running it. Stage plays and concerts proved unsuccessful, so the Capitol Theatre became a catering and special-events facility. The upstairs seating has been retained, but the orchestra floor became an open space for dining, dancing, and trade shows. The stage can still be used when needed. In 2012, concerts were beginning to be staged.
Contributed by
Warren G. Harris
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Recent comments (view all 32 comments)
What a wonderful theater. It is to bad that the interior is all painted white. This seems to be quite common as a lot of old movie palaces that have become venues for other things have had their interiors white washed in some misguided attempt at good taste. The original architects not only oversaw the design of the building but also the interior including the colors used in the decorations, the fabrics used and the interior furnishings. Thereby giving a complete visual package. While the furnishings are usually long gone their is no reason why the colors of the paint can not be replicated. Paint is paint so why use all white?
This is the Capitol Theater building in 2008.
This is a May 1975 concert poster for the Capitol Theater.
The Capitol Theater opened 6 days after the Embassy Theatre on Aug. 18, 1926 with seating listed at the time at 1,748.
I started working at the Capitol in october 1968 ,and still work there 42 years later !
Here’s a live stream of a Dead show at the Cap on 6/24/70 that DHeads swear is an all-time classic: View link
(I’m listening to it right now & digging it very much)
Looks like concerts are returning to the Capitol!
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/12/21/arts/music/live-music-to-return-to-capitol-theater-in-port-chester-ny.html?_r=2
It’s back!!!!!!!!!!!!
For real!
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/06/arts/music/capitol-theater-in-port-chester-ny-to-reopen.html?_r=1
The Capitol was Bob Dylan’s 40th stop on his 75 stop tour this year.