Teatro Capitólio, Lisbon

The Teatro Capitólio (1925–1931) was constructed as part of Parque Mayer, an urban entertainment district in Lisbon that opened in 1922. A venue for both theater and music performances as well as a cinema, the Capitólio was designed by Portuguese architect Luís Cristino da Silva (1896–1976), a pioneer of Modern architecture in Lisbon, in collaboration with José Belard da Fonseca (1899–1969), a prominent structural engineer practicing in Portugal. The Moderne-style theater featured numerous design and technical innovations, including a naturally lit performance hall and a roof terrace accessed by moving ramps for outdoor film screenings. Capitólio influenced a generation of modern theater design in Lisbon as reflected in the similar, but less inventive designs of Eden Cinema-Theater (1937) by Cassiano Branco and Cinema Cinearte (1940) by Rodrigues Lima. Although closed to the public since the 1980s, the theater was listed as a “Building of Public Interest” by the Portuguese State in 1983; a 1991 inventory of modern architecture in Lisbon classified the building as a “work of great quality.”

The Capitólio now suffers from water ingress and delamination of its concrete and stucco exterior. Unsympathetic alterations, such as the enclosure of the original roof terrace with a gable roof, have marred the original architecture. The condition of the original interiors is unknown. The City Council of Lisbon announced plans to demolish the theater and construct a new performing arts center designed by Frank O. Gehry & Associates, Inc.

In response to the demolition threat, the Citizens for Capitólio, a non-profit advocacy group, was formed with the primary objective to restore and reopen the theater and use the project as a model for conserving and reusing other Modernist architecture in Portugal. Although the February 15, 2005, issue of New York Magazine reported the abandonment of the propose d Parque Mayer theater design by Frank O. Gehry & Associates, Inc., the future of the Teatro Capitólio remains uncertain. It is hoped that through listing, the owner, the city, and the local preservation group will come together to find a solution that will save this historic modernist theater and restore it to its former splendor.