Capitol Theatre
Elizabeth Street and S. Capitol Street,
Pekin,
IL
61554
Elizabeth Street and S. Capitol Street,
Pekin,
IL
61554
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Additional Info
Previous Names: Turner Opera House, Standard Theatre
Nearby Theaters
Located at the corner of S. Capitol Street and Elizabeth Street. Opened as the Turner Opera House in 1890. By 1908 it had been renamed Standard Theatre and began use as a silent movie theatre. It was rebuilt in 1913. By September 1918 it had been renamed Capitol Theatre. The Capitol Theatre was demolished in 1928 and the larger Pekin Theatre was built in its place.
Contributed by
Chris1982
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
A Pekin house called the Capitol Theatre was mentioned in the September 8, 1918, issue of The Moving Picture World.
A souvenir booklet called The Pekin Centenary published in 1949 says that the Capitol Theatre was originally the Turner Opera House, and was later renamed the Standard Theatre before becoming the Capitol, operated by a Mrs. Anna Fluegel. The booklet also reveals the fate of the Capitol:
The Standard itself had been rebuilt in 1913, as noted in this item from the October 18 issue of The Moving Picture World:The Turner Opera House was built in 1890. It had been renamed the Standard Theatre by 1908, when the Cahn guide listed it as a ground-floor house with 736 seats.The Capitol was demolished in 1928 and replaced by the Pekin Theatre. Despite their different addresses, the Capitol’s lot became part of the larger Pekin Theatre’s site.
The description at the top of the page is incorrect. The Pekin Theatre was not in the Arcade Building. The Pekin Theatre was in a block of shops on the other side of Elizabeth Street from the Arcade, where the red brick municipal building stands today.
The theater in the Arcade Building was an early house called the Unique, 9 S. Capitol, which opened around 1906. I haven’t been able to discover how long it remained in operation. Also, the Capitol was not rebuilt in 1928- it was demolished and the Pekin Theatre built in its place.