Yakima's Capitol Theatre
Washington
The Capitol Theatre in downtown Yakima opened in nineteen twenty as the Mercy Theatre, designed by B. Marcus Priteca, the Seattle architect who became the house designer for the Pantages vaudeville circuit and is credited with designing more than a hundred theaters across North America. Priteca's buildings were known for their ornate interiors and acoustic properties, and the Yakima Capitol Theatre was among his finest smaller commissions.
It hosted vaudeville acts, traveling stage productions, and film throughout the twenties and thirties, then survived the collapse of the vaudeville era by adapting to cinema and live performance. The theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places in nineteen seventy-three, was badly damaged by fire in nineteen seventy-five, and was rebuilt and reopened in nineteen seventy-eight. Today it anchors Yakima's arts district and serves as the home venue for several performing arts organizations in the Yakima Valley.
