![]() ![]() The Sydney Morning Herald covered the opening in 1928: “The effect of the new Capitol Theatre on the crowds which entered it on Saturday night was bewildering and a little overwhelming. The classical reproduction statues and architectural props were manufactured in the US, scrupulously numbered for shipment and reassembly – supervised by Sydney theatre designer Henry White. In 1927 John Eberson, a renowned American designer of theatrically themed theatres, was commissioned to create the Capitol Theatre for its new tenant, Union Theatres. Within 10 years the circus became financially unviable and Wirth Bros initiated the idea of converting the theatre to a picture palace or movie theatre. ![]() This tank still exists but is covered by the new floor. The tank had a hydraulically controlled platform that was raised from the base to form a cover that doubled as a circus ring when the pool was not in use. Part of the specification was the reinforced concrete water tank 12 metres in diameter and 3.6 metres deep for performances by seals and polar bears. In 1916 the building was converted to a hippodrome designed specifically for the Wirth Bros circus. The building was designed by council architect, George McRae, who also prepared the design for the Queen Victoria Building. The market’s motif of fruit and foliage may still be seen in the terra cotta decorative relief of fruit and foliage in the spandrels of the arches. Nestled in the historic Haymarket district, the building itself began its life in 1892 as the New Belmore Markets (although they were officially named after the mayor, Sir William Manning).
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