Vintage Charm, New Vision: Erwin's historic Capitol Hall celebrates grand reopening

It's been eight years since any kind of show ran in the former movie theatre that now houses Capitol Hall, but that changed on Friday night with the grand reopening of the refurbished historic theater in downtown Erwin. The Firecracker Jazz Band from Asheville, North Carolina, became the first act to take the stage during Capitol Hall's official opening By around 6:30 p.m., the theatre began to fill with patrons getting their first glimpse of the newly remodeled building and soaking in the nostalgia of it all. Theatre owner Jon Corbin said that the remodel and landmark opening came with its fair share of challenges, and he said that he knew he couldn't let the community down. "It's been the hardest project I've ever been involved in," Corbin said. "I knew how important it was to the community and to everyone I had working with me." Corbin, whose primary work experience has been in the real estate industry, personally completed a lot of the renovations himself with the help of the employees at the theatre who had jumped in through the process. The group chosen for opening night was a very intentional choice for Corbin who said he had two reasons for the selection. "This group in particular plays a style of jazz that would've been heard in the '30s or '40s and Capitol originally opened in 1935, and we kind of want to stay true to the history," Corbin said. "But we also kind of wanted to make a statement that we're going to have lots of different kinds of music." For Firecracker Jazz Band pianist Andrew Fletcher the grand opening of Capitol Hall provided a special invitation to be a part of something monumental for the community of Erwin. "It's an honor to get to help this place reopen," Fletcher said. "I just love having places like this in downtowns. I think it's really a special thing to have as a community." It's about more than just being there for the opening for Fletcher; it was the opportunity to breathe new life into it. "Getting asked to open this place up and get the blood flowing again is a big honor," Fletcher said. "We're playing music here that you could have heard when it was around in 1935." The unique nature of the venue's style is something that Corbin is excited to utilize to his advantage. "There's nothing like this anywhere here, not even in Asheville," Corbin said. "There's a lot of places that do music, but nothing like this." Before attendees could even enter the doors, the alluring smell of popcorn had already triggered nostalgic memories of going to the movies at the old Capitol Theater. Once in the lobby, the concessions area dominates the center of the room. There the theater offers various snacks as well as soft drinks and alcoholic beverages. The old second cinema room upstairs has been opened to create a full balcony section overlooking the stage. There's also a VIP section with cozy couches as well as standing bar tops to enjoy drinks while standing and chatting with other patrons. Corbin said that the theater's opening is the fruition of something he wanted to build to help the community fill a need he thinks people are craving now. "I think the community is looking for stuff like this. They're tired of watching Netflix and sitting at home," Corbin said. "They want to get out, and we're somewhere they don't have to drive an hour to get to and then drive an hour home." The theatre already has a loaded slate for the upcoming weeks featuring music from various genres, comedy shows and open mic nights and classic films. To keep updated on offerings at Capitol Hall, visit www.capitolhall.com.