"AUSTRALIA'S HANDSOMEST THEATRE"
Film's popularity as a medium was booming, with a 20% annual increase in the construction of cinemas across the nation since 1923.
The construction cost of the Capitol Theatre was $600,000 AUD in 1924, equivalent to $29,183,143 AUD in 2023.
Marion Mahony Griffin
&
Walter Burley Griffin
Originally coming from Chicago, USA to Canberra, AUS in 1914, Marion Mahony Griffin and Walter Burley Griffin set their sights on The Capitol Theatre after being commissioned to build the cinema.
Marion’s influence during her work as an architect of this project runs through the cinema, with her ‘spiritual’ eye and celestial way of looking at architecture being distinctive elements of some of The Capitol’s most iconic aspects. This includes the theatre’s distinct ceiling, and much more documented in over 400 drawings done by Marion for the project. Yet, her name has been largely forgotten in this story over the years. The couple has emerged as some of the most influential architects in Australia’s history at this time.
1924.
GRAND BEGINNINGS
The Capitol Theatre is built on what now is Melbourne's bustling Swanston Street. It became the "largest and grandest" cinema, or then more colloquially known as a "picture house".
As a product of the wealth accumulated during Melbourne's Gold Rush of the previous century, the theatre has become a monument to the city.
This article is the first recorded mention of the Capitol's construction, featured in 'The Age's 22 May 1924 edition, 99 years ago.
“The Griffins were the most creative and well known architects in the early 20th c. Generations ahead of their time, incorporating ideological, philosophical and spiritual beliefs into their work.”
- Ex Capitol Tour Guide Pauline Campbell
Professor Lisa French on the work of Marion Mahony Griffin
