Sept. 8, 2009
Wheeling’s Capitol Music Hall Reopening Sept 23, and Sept 25
Built, Opened Same Year as Keith Albee
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Entertainment Editor
Separated by hundreds of miles but joined by their proximity to the Ohio River and calling the Mountain State their home, the Capitol Theatre, Wheeling, WV, and the Keith Albee Theatre, Huntington, WV, have some commonalities.
Billed as a “two million dollar temple of amusement,” Huntington’s Moorish styled palace open May 8, 1928. Located in the Northern Panhandle, the Capitol, Wheeling’s Million Dollar Wonderland of Entertainment, opened November 28, 1928 showing Mary Astor, Robert Elliott and Ben Bard in the gangster melodrama, “Romance of the Underworld.” According to the Wheeling Intelligencer, 15,000 people attended the gala opening which cost sixty cents per person.
Both of these state movie palaces adapted to the changing movie attendance patterns. The Keith Albee remained a full-time first run theatre until 2006, when it closed due to competition from Pullman Square’s new 16-screen stadium seating complex operated by Marquee Cinemas. Doom and gloom enveloped the town, but the announcement of Warner Bros. on location shooting of “We Are Marshall” in the spring off 2006 gave the Keith national exposure for the plane crash film's World Premiere attended by all of the A list stars and filmmakers.
With proceeds from the premiere as a start, volunteers removed two “mini theatres,” which had on the left and right split the main auditorium allowing the palace to operate as a movie multiplex. The conversion in the 1970s was done delicately, so that one day the partitions could be removed making the auditorium whole again. After a semester in limbo, the Marshall Artists Series returned to its home.
Wheeling’s Capitol suffered from the changing movie industry, too. However, the weekly Saturday night broadcast of the Wheeling Jamboree on 50,000 watt WWVA provided the Capitol with a revenue stream. Through the years, a “Who’s Who of Country Music” has appeared on the stage at the Capitol, including Buck Owens, Grandpa Jones, Mel Tillis, Ronnie Milsap, Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, Randy Travis, Tanya Tucker, Reba McEntire, Lee Greenwood, Alan Jackson, Kathy Mattea, Charlie Daniels, Charley Pride, Tammy Wynette, Willie Nelson, and many others.
The Jamboree, the second longest running live radio show, went off the air in December 2005, leaving the Grand Ole’ Opry in Nashville, Tenn., as the longest running program. Clear Channel converted the AM station to a talk format. However, the Capitol auditorium remained available for touring shows.
But, in May 2007, the fire department declared it unsafe closing its doors. It had been built with a sprinkler system that had become non-operative. To reopen, a new one protecting the seating areas would be needed.
Reopening the doors to both movie palaces was legalistically tricky.
For the Keith, the Marshall Foundation had control of the land for another 20 or so years. The Hyman family held a lease until then. After an outpouring of community love shown for the theatre, Derek and Jack Hyman donated the remainder of the lease to the Foundation.
The Capitol was owned by Live Nation, a spin off from Clear Channel Radio. The Convention and Visitor’s Bureau bought it in the Spring of 2009 and began Phase One of renovations, which will maintain the beaux arts architecture and add ADA compliance. Now, after more than two years in darkness, the Capitol returns September 23 as a performing arts center, which will form a pillar for downtown Wheeling. The ‘music hall’ portion of its name will be dropped from the marquee.
The re-opening celebration actually begins Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. at the Ohio County Public Library which will host a free showing of “Romance of the Underworld,” using an original 16 mm print from New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Live piano music accompanies the film. The library’s auditorium will be transformed that night to resemble the Capitol in 1928.
For those who have not visited the Capitol, this interior descriptions comes from Cinema Treasures:
“The primary color scheme [in 1928] were mulberry, delicate green tones, ivory and various shades of golden russet. Along with two balconies, sculpted figures graced the 44-foot wide proscenium. The ceiling lighting fixtures measured eight feet in diameter and contained hundred of amber color prisms and diffusing bowls. The lobby had two box offices, as well as Cylinder type lanterns with prism head lighting fixtures.”
As for the radio Jamboree, an altered version --- the Wheeling Jamboree County Music Show --- began playing in February 2009 at Wheeling’s 700 seat Victoria Vaudeville Theatre ; however it is not affiliated with WWVA or Clear Channel. It has potentially an unlimited audience by broadcasting over the internet and is now syndicated to traditional radio stations, too, including WKKX in Wheeling and other WV stations. The jamboree still has featured artists weekly. Ray Stevens will be the guest at the Victoria on Sept. 17. Shows are live, on demand, Saturday’s for a $3 donation. Visit: http://www.wheelingjamboree.org/shows.php.
Olivia Litman, marketing director of the Wheeling Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, told Graffiti that the restoration safety improvement has come along slowly, but the 2,600 seat theatre will light up on September 23. The same weekend, on September 25, the Wheeling Symphony --- the venue’s new regular tenant --- plays their first concert in their new home. The theatre’s programming will consist of Broadway productions, comedians, concerts, dance school programs, and film festivals . Their web site states, “country or rock, we’ll take both.”
You may ask, why preserve these architectural dinosaurs of another era? I challenge you to visit either venue and have the same opinion afterwards. When constructed, the movie palace itself evoked a luxurious, fantasy inspiring location to forget troubles and inspire optimism.
However, to answer the economic revitalization thesis, one need only look to Cleveland, Ohio, where the reinvigorated Playhouse Square ( State, Allen, Ohio, and Palace) had turned that city’s downtown into a Midwest Broadway. Saving the theatres did not come all at once, either, preservationists originally staged weekly dinner theatre showings in the block long lobby of the State.
The decision to purchase and reopen Wheeling’s Capitol did not come swiftly. The Wheeling CVB and others conducted extensive studies which showed a $5.5 million dollar economic impact, spin off jobs and an estimated $174,000 in new tax revenue.
While much of the Capitol schedule at deadline can only be described as “stay tuned,” you can be assured that it will look really good on opening night. The number for the boxoffice is 304-214-4502. Their web home is: http://www.capitoltheatrewheeling.com.
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Wheeling’s Capitol Music Hall Reopening Sept 23, and Sept 25
Built, Opened Same Year as Keith Albee
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Entertainment Editor
Separated by hundreds of miles but joined by their proximity to the Ohio River and calling the Mountain State their home, the Capitol Theatre, Wheeling, WV, and the Keith Albee Theatre, Huntington, WV, have some commonalities.
Billed as a “two million dollar temple of amusement,” Huntington’s Moorish styled palace open May 8, 1928. Located in the Northern Panhandle, the Capitol, Wheeling’s Million Dollar Wonderland of Entertainment, opened November 28, 1928 showing Mary Astor, Robert Elliott and Ben Bard in the gangster melodrama, “Romance of the Underworld.” According to the Wheeling Intelligencer, 15,000 people attended the gala opening which cost sixty cents per person.
Both of these state movie palaces adapted to the changing movie attendance patterns. The Keith Albee remained a full-time first run theatre until 2006, when it closed due to competition from Pullman Square’s new 16-screen stadium seating complex operated by Marquee Cinemas. Doom and gloom enveloped the town, but the announcement of Warner Bros. on location shooting of “We Are Marshall” in the spring off 2006 gave the Keith national exposure for the plane crash film's World Premiere attended by all of the A list stars and filmmakers.
With proceeds from the premiere as a start, volunteers removed two “mini theatres,” which had on the left and right split the main auditorium allowing the palace to operate as a movie multiplex. The conversion in the 1970s was done delicately, so that one day the partitions could be removed making the auditorium whole again. After a semester in limbo, the Marshall Artists Series returned to its home.
Wheeling’s Capitol suffered from the changing movie industry, too. However, the weekly Saturday night broadcast of the Wheeling Jamboree on 50,000 watt WWVA provided the Capitol with a revenue stream. Through the years, a “Who’s Who of Country Music” has appeared on the stage at the Capitol, including Buck Owens, Grandpa Jones, Mel Tillis, Ronnie Milsap, Loretta Lynn, Conway Twitty, Randy Travis, Tanya Tucker, Reba McEntire, Lee Greenwood, Alan Jackson, Kathy Mattea, Charlie Daniels, Charley Pride, Tammy Wynette, Willie Nelson, and many others.
The Jamboree, the second longest running live radio show, went off the air in December 2005, leaving the Grand Ole’ Opry in Nashville, Tenn., as the longest running program. Clear Channel converted the AM station to a talk format. However, the Capitol auditorium remained available for touring shows.
But, in May 2007, the fire department declared it unsafe closing its doors. It had been built with a sprinkler system that had become non-operative. To reopen, a new one protecting the seating areas would be needed.
Reopening the doors to both movie palaces was legalistically tricky.
For the Keith, the Marshall Foundation had control of the land for another 20 or so years. The Hyman family held a lease until then. After an outpouring of community love shown for the theatre, Derek and Jack Hyman donated the remainder of the lease to the Foundation.
The Capitol was owned by Live Nation, a spin off from Clear Channel Radio. The Convention and Visitor’s Bureau bought it in the Spring of 2009 and began Phase One of renovations, which will maintain the beaux arts architecture and add ADA compliance. Now, after more than two years in darkness, the Capitol returns September 23 as a performing arts center, which will form a pillar for downtown Wheeling. The ‘music hall’ portion of its name will be dropped from the marquee.
The re-opening celebration actually begins Sept. 22 at 7 p.m. at the Ohio County Public Library which will host a free showing of “Romance of the Underworld,” using an original 16 mm print from New York’s Museum of Modern Art. Live piano music accompanies the film. The library’s auditorium will be transformed that night to resemble the Capitol in 1928.
For those who have not visited the Capitol, this interior descriptions comes from Cinema Treasures:
“The primary color scheme [in 1928] were mulberry, delicate green tones, ivory and various shades of golden russet. Along with two balconies, sculpted figures graced the 44-foot wide proscenium. The ceiling lighting fixtures measured eight feet in diameter and contained hundred of amber color prisms and diffusing bowls. The lobby had two box offices, as well as Cylinder type lanterns with prism head lighting fixtures.”
As for the radio Jamboree, an altered version --- the Wheeling Jamboree County Music Show --- began playing in February 2009 at Wheeling’s 700 seat Victoria Vaudeville Theatre ; however it is not affiliated with WWVA or Clear Channel. It has potentially an unlimited audience by broadcasting over the internet and is now syndicated to traditional radio stations, too, including WKKX in Wheeling and other WV stations. The jamboree still has featured artists weekly. Ray Stevens will be the guest at the Victoria on Sept. 17. Shows are live, on demand, Saturday’s for a $3 donation. Visit: http://www.wheelingjamboree.org/shows.php.
Olivia Litman, marketing director of the Wheeling Convention and Visitor’s Bureau, told Graffiti that the restoration safety improvement has come along slowly, but the 2,600 seat theatre will light up on September 23. The same weekend, on September 25, the Wheeling Symphony --- the venue’s new regular tenant --- plays their first concert in their new home. The theatre’s programming will consist of Broadway productions, comedians, concerts, dance school programs, and film festivals . Their web site states, “country or rock, we’ll take both.”
You may ask, why preserve these architectural dinosaurs of another era? I challenge you to visit either venue and have the same opinion afterwards. When constructed, the movie palace itself evoked a luxurious, fantasy inspiring location to forget troubles and inspire optimism.
However, to answer the economic revitalization thesis, one need only look to Cleveland, Ohio, where the reinvigorated Playhouse Square ( State, Allen, Ohio, and Palace) had turned that city’s downtown into a Midwest Broadway. Saving the theatres did not come all at once, either, preservationists originally staged weekly dinner theatre showings in the block long lobby of the State.
The decision to purchase and reopen Wheeling’s Capitol did not come swiftly. The Wheeling CVB and others conducted extensive studies which showed a $5.5 million dollar economic impact, spin off jobs and an estimated $174,000 in new tax revenue.
While much of the Capitol schedule at deadline can only be described as “stay tuned,” you can be assured that it will look really good on opening night. The number for the boxoffice is 304-214-4502. Their web home is: http://www.capitoltheatrewheeling.com.
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