|
Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...
|
The Capitol Theater was a cultural landmark in New Bedford’s North End for much of the 20th century. Inaugurated on Nov. 29, 1920, it was also a vibrant gathering place for a community that revolved around cinema.
After closing as a movie theater in the 1960s, the building became a rock concert venue in the 1970s, before falling into progressive disrepair: it housed businesses with precarious installations, while water leaks rotted its ornate and artistic ceiling finishes and porticos. The theater closed for good around 1980.
Approximately five years ago, leaders at the Community Economic Development Center (CEDC) decided to take over the property and undertake an ambitious renovation project that honors the theater’s cultural and architectural heritage. The plan includes the development of six rental apartments on the second floor, with one- and two-bedroom units, available through a waitlist that will be managed at the CEDC offices.
The first floor will house the CEDC offices, a small clinic affiliated with New Bedford Community Health Center, a branch of Southcoast Federal Credit Union, and an immigration legal assistance office, among other community services.
CEDC Executive Director Corinn Williams said the project has cost approximately $4 million to date, and that they expect to receive additional funding from the state and other institutions given the building’s historic value. “The Capitol has financing through historic tax credits, and both the federal and state governments have provided funds to allow us to complete construction and have the building ready,” Williams explained.
With asbestos cleanup now complete, the building is currently in the window installation and historic brick restoration phase. Everything is expected to be ready and open to the public by late 2027 or early 2028.
Those interested in the apartments can visit the CEDC at 235 N. Front St., New Bedford, or call at 508-979-4684. Williams explained that a lottery system will be used to assign the six units.
Email Gerardo Beltrán Salinas at gerardo@newbedfordlight.org
