Oneida County giving Rome's Capitol Theatre money for practical renovation

Amy Neff Roth, Utica Observer Dispatch
·2 min read

Oneida County is giving the Capitol Theatre in Rome $40,000 to make sure visitors to the newly renovated theater are comfortable and not just impressed by the 1939 interior décor.

The money will go toward an upgrade of the building’s heating, cooling and ventilation system.

The $2.5 million renovation, completed in 2021, restored the theater’s original façade from when it opened in 1928 and restored the interior to its Art Deco décor of 1939, the year of a previous renovation. The funding, though, which came through the city’s Downtown Revitalization Initiative, didn’t cover the HVAC system.

The Capitol Theatre in Rome underwent a $2.5 million renovation, completed in 2021, including a replica of its original marquee from 1928. Oneida County is now giving the theater money to improve its HVAC system.
The Capitol Theatre in Rome underwent a $2.5 million renovation, completed in 2021, including a replica of its original marquee from 1928. Oneida County is now giving the theater money to improve its HVAC system.

So the county is allocating the money through its American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding.

“The Capitol Theatre has undergone an amazing transformation, restoring this beautiful facility to its original state,” Oneida County Executive Anthony Picente Jr. said in a statement. “Oneida County was happy to step up and help complete this ambitious project by funding the much-needed upgrade to its HVAC system.  The Capitol Theatre plays an essential role in the quality of life of our residents and we are lucky to reap its rich cultural benefits.”

Renovation work

The completed renovations included a replica of the theater’s original marquee and blade sign from 1928, putting in a replica of the 1939 carpet, repainting the interior with the colors used in 1939 and putting in seating from the Art Deco era as well replacing the roof and repairing plaster.

The Capitol purchased three neighboring buildings, adding two more theaters to the new complex, with one opening in 2014 and one in 2016. It shows classic movies and live performances.

Stephen Merren, president of the Capitol Civic Center, expressed his gratitude to the county for supporting a “very important part of the cultural and economic life of Central New York.”

“This generous funding,” he said, “will help us to finish restoring our theater and preserve it for the next 100 years.”

The Capitol will celebrate its 95th anniversary from 4 to 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 10 with a screening of the same movies it showed on opening night in 1928. It will include two Vitaphone talking shorts; “We Faw Down,” a Laurel and Hardy short; a 1929 Hearst-Metrotone newsreel; and the silent feature film “The Last Warning,” directed by Paul Leni and starring Laura La Plante, John Boles, Montagu Love and Margaret Livingston. David Peckham will accompany the movie live on the theater organ.

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Oneida County giving $40K to Capital Theatre in Rome for HVAC