A historic Toronto movie theatre, once home to vaudeville shows and silent films, will become part of a condo development on Yonge Street. The Capitol Theatre at 2492 Yonge St., at the corner of Yonge and Castlefield, is slated to become part of a 145-unit condo building called The Capitol from Madison Group and Westdale Properties.
The Capitol Theatre building has architectural features from the early-20th century Classical Revival style, according to a conservation plan submitted to the City of Toronto. It was built in 1918 and underwent a notable transformation in the 1920s from a silent movie and vaudeville theatre to a venue for movies with sound.
Toronto architect Murray Brown worked the transformation. Brown is known for high-profile Toronto buildings, and he designed Famous Players theatres across Canada. Plans are to retain the original marquee façade of the theatre along with the vestibule, heritage attributes of the building and the 1946-renovated canopy structure. There is a plan to rebuild the vertical marquee.