Capitol Theatre
230 Queen Street,
Ottawa,
ON
K1P 5N2
230 Queen Street,
Ottawa,
ON
K1P 5N2
4 people
favorited this theater
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Was very proud to work for Bert Brown at the Capitol Square Cinemas for almost four years. Never saw the Capitol but it sure looked magnificent from the pictures I’ve seen.
Extensive paper:
All that Glitters: A Memorial to Ottawa’s Capitol Theatre and its Predecessors
Including construction photos, plans, historical background on the development of the “Movie Palace” and on the design practices of architects, particularly Thomas W. Lamb.
Construction photos and plans in this section.
Several interior photos added too. All via the Lost Ottawa Facebook page.
1954 photo of the Capitol Theatre projection booth added. Courtesy of the Lost Ottawa Facebook page, via the City of Ottawa Archives, CA003459.
Bits of the Warren organ are in the Obrien Theatre Renfrew Ontario organ
Hi DavidDymond! I’m a journalism student interested in writing a story about the Capitol Cinema. I would love to hear about your experience working there. Reply to this comment if you’re interested. Thanks!
Bert Brown installed a pay phone backstage so the artists could call HOME!!!
Hi Karen I worked at Capitol Square Cinemas for your uncle Bert Brown. He was the best and most professional Manager I ever knew and he told me lots about the original Capitol Theatre and we became great friends. Mr.Brown told me they had a pay phone back stage so the artists like Tammy Wynette could call him with no hassle in a pre-cell phone world!!!
Hi, I am Karen Brady (my married name) my single name was Brown and my uncle was the last manager of the Capital theater in Ottawa. His name was Edward Albert Brown. A magnificent theater!
Yes, I believe that this is a photo of the old capitol Theatre in Ottawa. I have a piece of it… I bought one of the 8' decorative mirrors from its lobby whemn it was demolished in 1970.
The streetcars are also gone. Shortly after this picture was taken the local government took the streetcars out of service and tore up all the tracks because they thought that the overhear wires were “unsightly”. Now (2009) they want to build a $1.2 billion (!!)light rail system in Ottawa. Great planning!!
Hi Tom,
I am Hector Ladouceur’s grand daughter. I am also looking for information and photoes of Hector and the Caitol Theatre.
Perhaps we can share?
Thanks
I’m trying to gather information concerning a manager of the Capitol Theatre, Mr. Hector Ladouceur. Any info would be appreciated.
Thanks
By any chance does anyone know the early 1960s date of the ray charles concert at the capital theatre in ottawa.
It was actually on Bank Street, not Queen Street.
It was actaully on Bank Street, not Queen Street.
Edward,
Was the special screening accompanied by an accomplished theatre organist? I own a new (through Film Presrevation Associates/David Shepard) 16 mm print and a Beta tape and a laser video disc of Mary’s great film with my late hero, Gaylord B. Carter, playing an especially appropriate score. I am wondering if there was indeed a song entitled THE GLAD SONG and if Gaylord used this in conjunction with his scoring of the film through the Matty Kemp Festival Series/The Mary Pickford Company(copyright,1972)?
Calvert Francis
Lawton, Oklahoma
USA
In the book, Palaces of the Night by John Lindsay, two photo captions read:
1) The Ottawa Capitol likely had the most magnificent staircase of any theatre in Canada. This theatre was considered by some to be the best of Thomas Lamb’s Canadian designs. The auditorium closely resembled the Toronto Pantages (now Canon Theatre) which also opened in 1920.
2) Many felt the Ottawa Capitol was the most attractive of all of Lamb’s theatres.
Closed and demolished in 1970. The last show was a special screening of Mary Pickford’s POLLYANNA and a benefit stage show which played to a packed house.
The Capitol in Ottawa was a Thomas Lamb designed theatre very much like the Uptown in Toronto. In the early to mid 1960’s when I went to the Capitol many times they also had live shows.
The Capitol was a magnificent theatre but its downtown property value became so high it could not possibly last.
The Capitol was demolished and replaced by an office tower which also housed a replacement theatre, the Capitol Square, with 3 screens. This theatre closed about 3 years ago and has now been converted to office space.