If you grew up in Montpelier, chances are you have memories inside the Capitol Theatre . For nearly a century, it has been the city’s place for movie magic, laughter with friends, and first dates shared under the glow of the big screen.

 The pile of debris left over from the cleanup after the 2023 flood.

EARLY DISASTERS LEAD TO A FRESH START

The building’s story is as dramatic as the films it has shown. When it opened in the late 1920s as the Playhouse, it was the pride of downtown. Then came the disasters: first a fallen elm tree in 1938, followed by a fire that nearly destroyed it the next year. What could have been the end became instead a fresh start. Using what remained of the original walls, builder K.R. Beard and carpenter Nelson Paxman reconstructed the theatre in 1939, giving Montpelier the Capitol Theatre. 

 

Inside the Capitol Theatre during the 2023 renovation: mud-covered floors, water-stained seats, candy scattered about, and salvaged film reels, waiting for a second life as decor

THE CAPITOL AS SOCIAL HUB

With more than six hundred seats and a sweeping balcony, the Capitol became the kind of place where the whole town gathered. By the 1960s, the Cody family owned it, along with Burlington’s Flynn Theater. Later, Fred and Mary Bashara took it on as a family project, transforming the single screen into a multi-auditorium space. They restored old seats with red upholstery, hung bright curtains, and expanded to five auditoriums. The Capitol quickly becamea hub where locals came not only to see films but also to socialize.

Then the floods came. In March 1992, Montpelier filled with water, and the Capitol filled with it too. The sprinkler system burst, and the seats and floors were ruined. “Everywhere we looked was soaking wet,” remembers Cyndy Bashara Golonka. It was heartbreaking, but the family knew they would rebuild.

THE COMMUNITY PITCHES IN

Three decades later, disaster struck again.The summer rains of 2023 sent floodwaters through downtown Montpelier. This time, Cyndy was there with her husband, children, and father, pulling out carpets and hauling ruined seats to the curb. Neighbors streamed in as well. “We had about twenty-five community members come down to help us take out the seats. All five hundred of them lined the front of our buildings,” she says. “Some people asked how they could help. Others just acted.”

Piece by piece, the theatre was stripped down to its bones. Walls were opened to the studs, floors pulled up, and blowers running day and night to dry the space.

Yet amid the wreckage, there was vision. Old film reels discovered in the balcony were saved and now hang on the walls as décor. The wainscoting was preserved and returned to its place. A new concession stand was built to echo the one that had been lost. Even the couches were reupholstered again, giving them another chance to welcome guests.

 The Capitol Theatre shines again, boasting a vintage refresh with modern amenities, and bringing the joy of movies back to the state's capital.

THE CAPITOL BOUNCES BACK

Six months later, the lights dimmed and the Capitol was back in business, reopening with the latest Hunger Games movie. Families filled the seats once more. “When people walk in now, they see the original colors: red, navy, and purple,” Cyndy says. “It feels like the Capitol again.” The return has been emotional. Customers stop to share their memories and thank the family for bringing the theatre back. Parents introduce their children to the thrill of the big screen. “You can’t get that excitement at home,” Cyndy says.

For Montpelier, the Capitol Theatre is more than a building. It is proof that even after fire, flood, and hardship, some places are simply too important to lose. “If you build it, they will come,” Cyndy says with a smile. And in Montpelier, they always do.

PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE CAPITOL THEATRE

CAPITOL THEATRE

93 State Street

Montpelier, VT

www.fgbtheaters.com