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RMIT CAPITOL THEATRE Architects: Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin Completed: 1924 Altered substantially in 1965 Purchased by RMIT in 1999 Architects: Six Degrees, renovation and restoration works ongoing          "The best cinema that was ever built or is ever likely to be built" - architect Robin Boyd, The Australian, 24 December 1965 "This is the Griffin's best known and most popular work. Less obvious than the ceiling but really of greater architectural interest, the lounges, galleries and foyers, leading to the auditorium are arranged on several levels, interlacing and merging in a charged spatial pattern which unfortunately eludes the camera." - Robin Boyd Victorian Modern 'Architect' Jan-Feb 1969 The Capitol Theatre was designed by Chicago architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin, who worked with Frank Lloyd Wright prior to moving to Australia after winning the Canberra capitol city masterplan competition. The Capitol Theatre opened in November 1924 at the height of the silent film era. In the sixties, with the advent of television, the theatre was converted to a smaller single level cinema and its grand entrance foyer was demolished and converted to a shopping arcade. The theatre faced closure in the 1990's. The future of this architecturally significant complex was secured when RMIT purchased the theatre in May 1999. It now operates as a large capacity RMIT lecture theatre and continues to provide an ongoing venue for key cinema and theatre events such as the annual Melbourne Film Festival and the Melbourne Comedy Festival. A complex process of renovation is currently underway, co-funded with a grant from the Victoria State Government. Articles and Websites: April 29, 2005 Capitol Theatre gets $190,000 upgrade RMIT Openline Article RMIT University ’s Capitol Theatre will be restored to its former glory after the State Government presented the university with a $190,000 cheque for the refurbishment. Capitol Theatre Upgrade Property Services: Projects and Planning RMIT website, 2006 November 1999 Capitol Idea RMIT Openline Article Architect Robin Boyd described the Capitol as "the best theatre that was ever built or is ever likely to be built" (The Australian, 24 December 1965). October 14, 1999 Exhibition remembers the Capitol Theatre's architects RMIT Media Release The Melbourne works of architects Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin are on show for the first time in Melbourne at the RMIT Gallery, 344 Swanston Street in the city. The theatre was designed in the 1920's by the Chicago architects who came to Australia after winning the Canberra competition. It was threatened with closure in the 1990's. The future of the Capitol Theatre looks brighter, following RMIT University's purchase of the theatre in May 1999. RMIT Capitol Theatre website RMIT purchased the Capitol Theatre in May 1999, saving it from an uncertain future. RMIT relaunched the Capitol on 7 November 1999, the 75th anniversary of the original opening of the theatre. A feature of the relaunch was the relighting of the famous ceiling. RMIT Working Capitol Brochure (pdf file) RMIT University, 1999 The public fund-raising campaign Working Capitol was launched on 7th November 1999  Capitol Theatre part 1 Capitol Theatre part 2 Architects: Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin Martin Powell Cinema and Theatre Historical Society Sept 2003 Beyond Architecture: Marion Mahony and Walter Burley Griffin Exhibition Essay Powerhouse Museum, Sydney The Griffins in Australia and India: The Complete Works and Projects of Walter Burley Griffin and Marion Mahony Griffin Edited by Jeff Turnbull and Peter Y. Navaretti Melbourne: Miegunya Press, 1998 The first comprehensive study of the work of these two pioneer architects of the early twentieth century in Australia. Beyond architecture: Marion Mahony and Walter Burley Griffin in America, Australia and India Anne Watson (ed) Chicago: University of Illinois Press Beyond architecture looks at the lives and work of these two influential architects. Eminent authors from Australia and North America take you on the Griffins` professional and spiritual journey from their years in the office of Frank Lloyd Wright in turn-of-the-century Chicago; to Australia in their pursuit of a `democratic civic ideal`; and to a revitalised practice in India. | ||||||||
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