Bilheimer Capitol Theatre

The seat count tells the story

• 944 seats when it opened in 1921
• 433 seats after rows came out in 1981 for a bigger stage, offices and dressing rooms
• About 740 fixed seats after the restoration and expansion that reopened it in 2014

In between came vaudeville stars like Sally Rand, Fred Stone and Lum and Abner, the Miss Florida Pageant, and a long run from 1981 to 2001 as the Royalty Theatre.

Saving the Capitol

By the late 2000s the theater was close to foreclosure, and the City of Clearwater bought it and brought in Ruth Eckerd Hall to run it. In 2013 the city started an $11 million restoration that expanded the theater into the old Clearwater News building and the building next door, adding seats, lobby space, loge boxes, a balcony and a rooftop terrace. In March 2019 a $2.5 million gift from Nancy and David Bilheimer gave the theater its full name, the Nancy and David Bilheimer Capitol Theatre.

B.B. King, Kris Kristofferson, Lucinda Williams, Judy Collins, Leon Russell and Johnny Winter are among the names that have played it.

Downtown Clearwater logistics

The theater is at 405 Cleveland Street. The Garden Avenue Garage and the Station Square garage on Laura Street are short walks, and city street parking and lots are options too. When a big show is on at The BayCare Sound, just down Cleveland Street on the waterfront, downtown parking fills fast and event rates can apply, so check the waterfront calendar before you leave the house.

For a bigger room run by the same nonprofit, see Ruth Eckerd Hall on McMullen Booth Road, and every area date is on the St. Pete and Clearwater page.