Capitol Theatre, Heritage theatre in Haymarket, Sydney, Australia.
Capitol Theatre is a heritage-listed theatre at 3–15 Campbell Street, Haymarket, Sydney. Its brick facade has stone cornices, terracotta capitals, rosettes and tiled panels. Inside, architect Henry Eli White created an atmospheric auditorium in 1927 with an imitation Italian garden courtyard, the only surviving one in Sydney.
The New Belmore Markets, designed by George McRae, opened on this site in July 1893. After the markets failed commercially, Wirth Brothers leased the building and opened a hippodrome there in April 1916. Henry Eli White and John Eberson remodelled it as an atmospheric picture palace, and the Capitol Theatre opened on 7 April 1928.
The interior was modelled on an Italian garden or piazza, with an imitation courtyard that is the only one surviving in Sydney. The Capitol opened on 7 April 1928 as an atmospheric picture palace; its ceiling and gallery were raised to fit the design.
The Capitol stands at 3–15 Campbell Street in Haymarket, a short walk from Central Station and close to Chinatown light rail stops. The main entrance faces Campbell Street; the box office and foyer are reached from there. The theatre is a heritage-listed building, so step-free access is limited and visitors with mobility needs should contact the venue before booking.
The auditorium was modelled on John Eberson's Riviera theatre in Omaha, Nebraska, which Henry White and Stuart Doyle studied on a 1927 trip to the United States. Its imitation courtyard is the only one of its kind surviving in Sydney.
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