Capitol Theatre
303 Broadway,
Somerville,
MA
02145
303 Broadway,
Somerville,
MA
02145
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The Capitol Theatre was once Somerville’s largest theatre. It was located on the slope of Winter Hill heading towards East Somerville. By the early 1940’s it was operated by Paramount Pictures Inc. through their subsidiary Mullins & Pinanski. It gained infamy after being closed in the early-1960’s when a gangland shooting occured in the theatre doorway.
The front was a one-story entrance among storefronts that had a large marquee.
The Capitol Theatre was demolished and replaced with a Star Market and parking lot.
Contributed by
Ian Judge
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For much more on this theatre, including many photos, see
http://www.losttheatres.org/theaters.htm
The MGM Theatre Photograph and Report form for the Capitol at 303 Broadway in Somerville has a facade photo taken in May 1941. The Report states that the theatre had been a MGM customer for over 10 years; that it was over 15 years old; that it was in Fair condition, and that it had 1358 seats on the orchestra floor and 373 in the balcony, total: 1731 seats.
Vaudeville and a double feature in 1948:
http://tinyurl.com/yw723r
The Star Market grocery that replaced this theatre will close on January 26, 2008, according to an article published in the Somerville Journal on November 21. No idea what will replace the Star Market.
The Capitol opened on Monday, March 7, 1927 and closed in 1963, according to David Guss’s website Lost Theatres of Somerville.
The ‘gangland shooting’ referred to in the description happened on October 30, 1965, after the theatre had already been closed for two years. It was torn down some time after that, but I don’t yet know exactly when.
David Guss’s article “Lost Theatres of Somerville”, from the First Quarter 2006 issue of Marquee, the journal of the Theatre Historical Society of America, is now online at View link .
Besides an extensive history, the article also contains many old photos of and advertisements for the various theatres in Somerville.
(This is a 17-page scanned-image PDF, so unfortunately you cannot search or copy the text.)