Capitol Cinema (Ottawa) - Demolition

Demolition

In 1964, Famous Players announced that the Capitol would be divided into two theatres, to replicate the success of the nearby two-screen Elgin Theatre. The chain never acted on this announcement, however, perhaps in deference to the Capitol's role as Ottawa's main stage.

When the plans for the National Arts Centre were announced, the end of the Capitol was near. By the end of the 1960s, it was impossible to fill the Capitol's 2530 seats with the showing of a film. The president of the Famous Players chain, George Destounis, was quoted in the Ottawa Journal in July 1969 as saying: "It's a beautiful theatre, but it has outlived its purpose".

Deemed to be superfluous once the National Arts Centre was completed and an anachronism in the age of the multiplex, the Capitol was closed on May 1, 1970 and subsequently demolished. The last regularly scheduled film was M*A*S*H, but the actual last show was a sold-out benefit performance that included a stage show and a special screening of the Mary Pickford film, Pollyanna. The event was emceed by Alex Trebek, and the audience ended the show with a sad rendition of "Auld Lang Syne".

There was little the residents of Ottawa could do to stop the demolition; the provincial government of Ontario would not enact heritage protection legislation for another five years. The Capitol was replaced by an office building that contained the three-screen "Capitol Square" multiplex. The Capitol Square was itself closed and converted to office space in 1999.