Capitol Theatre
Cnr. Hay, Campbell and Pitt Streets, Sydney
1892-93 George McRae as New Belmore Markets
1913-16 RH Brodrick as the Hippodrome Theatre
1927-28 Henry Eli White as the Capitol Theatre
1989-95 Peddle Thorp & Walker as a lyric theatre
1996 Noel Bell Ridley Smith (Capitol Square hotel and retail centre)
The Capitol Theatre seen today is the result of a major redevelopment after a chequered history of rebuilding and additions to the New Belmore Market building erected by Sydney City Council. Completed in 1893, it soon fell out of use, and, after languishing for years, was converted into a circus called The Hippodrome in 1913.
Unfortunately, The Hippodrome was a commercial failure, and the operators soon approached Sydney Council to convert the use from a circus into an "atmospheric" theatre intended for silent movies and live performances. Henry E White, an experienced theatre designer in Sydney, toured the USA inspecting John Eberson’s atmospheric theatres to get ideas. Eberson provided White with a design along similar lines to his Riviera Theatre in Omaha, Nebraska. The interior was meant to create the illusion of sitting in a romantic courtyard under a brilliant night sky, with patrons dazzled by special climatic and lighting effects.
In total, five atmospheric theatres were created in Australia before the Depression, and the takeover by sound cinema. The theatre was restored and extended jointly between the owners Sydney City Council and the developer Ipoh Garden for major musical productions. The adjoining site, including former Watkins Terrace and a new glass vault, was redeveloped by Augustine Chan as a hotel and retail complex.
Information appearing in this section is reproduced from Sydney Architecture, with the kind permission of the author, Graham Jahn, Sydney architect and former City of Sydney Councillor.
