Capitol Centre seating is easier to access for wheelchairs and scooters following a 750 thousand dollar renovation. Photos by Dennis Chippa.
It may not sound like a big deal to say how great some new seats and an elevator are for a building.
But when the building is the Capitol Centre, and the new seating and elevator are part of a 750 thousand dollar accessibility renovation, it is a big deal.
The Capitol Centre staff and board have been working for several years to make the 85 year old building more functional for those with mobility issues
Dee Adrian, the Centre’s General Manager, says the mission was a long one, but well worth it.
“Looking at this building, back to 1929 then some renovations some 27 years ago, no one gave any thought to accessibility. It just wasn’t on their radar. So there were open positions at the back of the theatre that wheelchairs and scooters could sit in .But they’re not prime viewing.”
So, with 750 thousand dollars in grant money, it was roll up the sleeves and get to work.
The starting point was improving previous renovations to the box office, lowering the desk and countertop and allowing staff to sit rather than stand, making it less intimidating to people in wheelchairs or scooters.
Next, it was grinding down the thresholds in the offices, allowing for more accessibility, changing around the washrooms to lower sinks, expand the stalls and make coat hooks lower.
But Adrian says the real work came in the theatre itself.
“We removed sixty seats and built a platform area that now has prime viewing on it. The front row of that is eliminated basically from the ten seats so that wheelchairs and scooters can go in there. It allowed us to build the platform area with portable seating on. “
That has moved the handicapped seating up another fifteen feet, and literally given that area the best view in the house.
Next was the elevator, which had to be built into an existing shaft. So, the elevator is safe and secure; but as Adrian puts it, a little bit slower and it can’t hold as many people as a regular elevator.
Adrian says no one seems to mind.
“Ask any of our crew that have carried 120 chairs up and down those steps or crates of wine glasses during our biggest fundraiser what they think of the elevator and they probably can speak volumes and are very passionate about how many steps are saved by having this.”
The elevator is a shaft within a shaft, but it is a dream for staff and patrons.
There have been other changes, all designed to give the old Capitol Centre a new accessibility.
All of the work hasn’t gone unnoticed.
The Capitol Centre was recently held out at a recent provincial accessibility meeting as a model for renovating old buildings.
As well, Nora Long of the city’s Municipal Accessibility Committee has certainly taken notice.
“We were standing on that platform and the phrase the best seat in the house is true. Not only is everything being done so well, but you can just see how proud everybody is to see what they’ve done and we’re equally proud to see that.”
The changes are literally top to bottom and have made the entire building open to anyone.
Adrian says they make sense for a lot of reasons, including business.
“The more spaces we can rent out or hold events in, the more the community comes in, and obviously we want them to go to the bigger shows in the theatre. But there are so many events going on throughout the theatre and all of that is required to keep us sustainable.”
Which now means anyone interested in a show at the Centre can ask ‘Can I get tickets?’ rather than ‘Can I get in?’