Theatre History
The Sanderson Centre for the Performing Arts has been a downtown Brantford entertainment destination since 1919. Its magnificent design and architecture recall a remarkable past and reflect the evolution and growth of Brantford’s cultural heritage. Opened as the Temple Theatre on December 22, 1919, this grand and glorious theatre was designed by world famous Scottish-American architect Thomas W. Lamb as a vaudeville and silent movie house. By the late 1920s, feature film presentations had eclipsed vaudeville as the entertainment rage and the Temple Theatre was swept along with the popular tide. In 1929, Famous Players purchased the Temple Theatre and it was renamed the Capitol in 1930. For the next fifty-seven years, the theatre entertained moviegoers, and occasionally rolled back her movie screen to be used again as a stage.
In an effort to preserve Brantford’s heritage and create a cultural centre for the community, the City of Brantford purchased the building for $425,000 in 1985. A group of dedicated community volunteers spearheaded a highly successful fundraising campaign with support from the community and local businesses to restore the Capitol Theatre. Over several years, the theatre was re-born with an authentically restored auditorium and improved services for guests and performers.
The Sanderson Centre is a proud recipient of the Prestigious “Theatre Preservation Award” presented by the League of Historic American Theatres, joining the likes of Carnegie Hall in New York and the Elgin and Winter Garden Theatres in Toronto.
In celebration of the Theatre’s 100th Anniversary, the Sanderson Centre Foundation chronicled its history with a handsome, hardcover coffee table book, A Century of Applause. Purchase your copy online or at the Theatre Box Office.
