MEMORIES OF THE SCRATCH HOUSE
Though cockroach-infested the Capitol Theater is remembered fondly not only for its cereal Westerns but for the amorous activity in its poorly lit balcony. Construction began on the Capitol Theater in 1923. Soon after the building was completed the Capitol began showing silent films such as Captain Blood. In 1926 a massive Robert Morten Orchestral pipe organ was installed and the movies were accompanied by it”soul-stirring tones.” With the advent of sound, the Capitol began showing Pre-code films including Suicide Fleet and Delicious. But it was the Westerns and the Saturday matinees that the Capitol became famous for. Hopalong Cassidy and Gene Autry were featured regularly. The Capitol sat derelict for years after it closed in the 1950s and suffered decades of neglect and vandalism. In 1972 the theater was razed, replaced with a parking lot. Part of the theater is still noticeable today at the back of the parking lot.
