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Many editions of our Throwback Thursday feature depict ornate and historically significant buildings that have sadly and unceremoniously met their end. Often times, there is no public indication a building of considerable architectural merit once stood on a specific lot, and in rare cases, a small plaque describing the history of the site may be the only window into the past. But other structures, even after their date with the wrecking ball, may live on in more than just old photographs. Though demolished, Jasper Avenue's once famed Capitol Theatre was faithfully re-created at Fort Edmonton Park, the city's interactive time capsule.
The two-storey building of concrete and brick at 10065 Jasper Avenue was designed by architect H.L. Gage. Opening in 1918 as the Allen Theatre — namesake of theatre manager Max Allen — the exterior featured two entrance arches, decorative lozenges, and a precast concrete cornice. It was then sold to Famous Players Corporation and renamed to the commonly known Capitol Theatre in 1923. Renovations to the theatre in 1929 produced an additional balcony with 500 seats, an electric marquee, and a new interior design replete with antique gold. Originally presenting only silent films, the introduction of sound equipment would accommodate the nascent influx of "talkies," making the Capitol Theatre the first in Edmonton to host movies with sound.
Another vertical sign in the Art Moderne style would join a fresh marquee, the largest in Western Canada, during a subsequent renovation in 1938. The heat from the 2,000 bright lightbulbs ensured a clear and snow-free sidewalk for the winter. Dewar-Stevenson & Stanley would be appointed lead architects to modernize the theatre again in 1954, the final renovation of the movie house, before it was ultimately shuttered in the 1970s. Its demolition in 1972 also took the entrance-flanking pipe shop and jeweller, which had operated at the location for over half a century.
A spiritual scaled-down replica of the 1929 version of the cinema was assembled at Fort Edmonton Park in 2011, where "vintage movies in a vintage theatre" are hand-picked for showing by Artistic Director Dana Andersen. As for the site along Jasper Avenue, it is now occupied by the 15-storey Epcor building and the First and Jasper project, which replaced a Bank of Montreal and the Odeon Theatre with a two-storey arched podium.
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