Capitol Centre

The Capitol Theatre in North Bay, opened on June 1, 1929, by Famous Players of Canada with 1,455 seats, quickly became the grandest "palace of splendour" in the area, notably premiering one of the first "talkie" films and later serving as the starting point for Roy Thomson's media empire. After housing various businesses and providing entertainment and wartime relief throughout the 20th century, the theatre was saved from conversion into small cinemas in the 1980s by the North Bay Theatre and Arts Community Centre (TACC), led by Betty Speers (whose name now graces the concert hall). Following an eleven-year fundraising campaign, TACC purchased the building for the City in 1985; the renovated facility, reopened in 1987 as the Arts Centre (and later rebranded as the Capitol Centre), reduced seating to 998 (and later 932) to improve viewing, incorporated the WKP Kennedy Gallery, and has since become the designated Heritage site and premier home for arts and entertainment in the region, hosting numerous major Canadian and international artists.