Capitol Hall sets grand opening after yearlong revival

A historic Erwin theater is coming back to life as Capitol Hall prepares for its grand opening weekend. Capitol Hall, formerly known as the Capitol Theatre, will celebrate its grand opening Friday and Saturday, April 3 and 4, with live music performances and movie showings, according to owner Jon Corbin. Corbin said in an interview March 10 that he purchased the building in July 2024, when the historic theater was facing significant structural and maintenance issues. "It was going through some hard times, and I bought it with hopes to fix it up," he said. What followed was more than a year of repairs, unexpected construction hurdles and gradual restoration work aimed at bringing the aging building back to life. "It's been about a year and a half now — fixing the roof, repainting everything and trying to get it back into shape," he said. "We're finally towards the end of that process now and starting to put together all of our sound equipment and our lights." While preserving much of the building's historic character, the renovation also introduced new features designed to turn the venue into a flexible entertainment space. "We've got a new balcony that wasn't open before," he said. "We also got new concession stands and new bars. It's going to be ready to go soon — modern and fresh." The reimagined venue is designed to host both concerts and film screenings. Both the lower level and balcony hold traditional theater seating and includes standing platforms and bar spaces intended for live music audiences. Corbin said the setup allows people to dance and mingle during concerts while still providing seating for movie showings. Guests hoping to sit during events may want to arrive early. "General admission is first come, first serve on seats," he said. "We have about 165 seats, but we can hold around 280 people." Throughout the building, the renovation blends old and new elements. Retro-style concessions pay homage to the theater's early days, while LED lighting and upgraded sound equipment give the space the feel of a modern music venue. Local artist Leslie Campbell, owner of Ravenworks Studio, is also contributing to the transformation by painting a mural at the entrance to welcome guests into Capitol Hall. Corbin said the opening weekend lineup is designed to reflect both the theater's history and its future programming. "We've got a grand opening on April 3 with the Firecracker Jazz Band, which plays pre-war jazz," Corbin said. "We chose to do that band because this place originally opened in the 1930s, and we thought it would be nice to kind of go back to that and remember the past." The following evening will feature a tribute performance celebrating the variety of music the venue intends to have. "We're gonna do jazz, of course, but also bluegrass and country," he said. "Our next show is on Saturday, April 4. It is the Allman Brothers, a blues tribute band. We're gonna get all kinds of different music coming through." Beyond ticketed concerts, Corbin said he hopes Capitol Hall becomes a gathering place where the community can come together regularly. "We're also going to do some open mic nights and some bluegrass jams," he said. "There will also be some free things as well that people can come and enjoy." Corbin said movies will also play a major role in the venue's schedule once licensing agreements are finalized. "We have a big movie projector," he said. "I can't announce what movies we're gonna play yet, but we will be playing movies starting that first Saturday on April 4. We plan on doing some Saturday matinees and some Monday night movies as well." When asked what made him want to open this in Erwin, Corbin said the project grew out of a connection to the town itself. "I bought a building in Erwin in 2020 that I was working on, right next door to this building, and just really started enjoying my time up here," he said. "I've made a lot of friends and just fell in love with the community, to be honest." Much of the design approach focused on preserving what remained of the building's original Art Deco style. "We really just tried to salvage what was here," he said. "The building was built in the 1930s so it was already this Art Deco design. We painted it and tried to try to go with the colors that would have been what we thought were the exact. We tried to go back to as close to what we thought the colors would have been, just to keep as much of the old as we could." Renovating an aging structure, however, came with constant surprises. "The whole thing has been like a puzzle," Corbin said. "We've been doing it ourselves for the most part — just local folks and myself, and when you fix an old building like this, you don't ever know what you're getting yourself into." "You can start a day with a plan, saying this is what we're gonna do today, and then you uncover something that you were just totally unaware of," he said. "That's been challenging." Despite the challenges, Corbin said several moments during the renovation reminded him how far the project had come. "I'm definitely proud that we were able to pull it off," Corbin said. "Getting the walls painted again. That was huge, and so was getting the balcony open again, which was closed forever." Now, after keeping the work largely under wraps for more than a year, he said he is eager to finally welcome the public inside. "We've been working hard to get the place ready, and we're very excited to host our first group of customers," Corbin said. "You can go online to capitolhall.com and get your tickets. You can also see the rest of our calendar. We've got a lot of things booked already. See if there's something that you want to come check out, but we really hope to see you. The first weekend is gonna be a good time." More than anything, Corbin said he hopes the venue becomes a place where residents of all ages feel comfortable gathering. "I really just hope it becomes a place people want to come and enjoy," he said. "From kids to older folks — I tried hard with our plans to take everybody in the community into account." As programming continues to expand, Corbin said he also welcomes suggestions from local residents. Community members can share feedback and ideas through Capitol Hall's Facebook and Instagram pages.