Flint, MI—The Capitol Theatre in downtown Flint, Mich. will be open for free, self-guided tours during Bikes on the Bricks this weekend.
The tours will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, and feature a behind-the-scenes look at the theater, from dressing rooms to historical artwork, according to a press release.
“This is a unique experience the whole community can take advantage of. Many memories have been made inside the Capitol Theatre,” said Rodney Lontine, FIM President and CEO, in the release. “We want to show people one of Flint’s gems and demonstrate how FIM is committed to engaging our community.”
According to FIM, the Capitol Theatre opened its doors on Jan. 19, 1928 and over its storied history has played host to everything from beauty pageants to the first show of rock band AC/DC’s 1977 national tour.
Though the theater has changed hands several times in its nearly century-long history, it now belongs to Friends of the Capitol Theatre, a subsidiary of local developer Uptown Reinvestment Corporation.
Restored in 2017 with the support of the Mott Foundation, the Hagerman Foundation, and the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, the Capitol Theatre remains listed on the National Register of Historic Places in Michigan.
Free tours of the building are being offered as part of FIM’s “September Spectacular” which Lontine called a “celebration of the rebrand of a unified and expanded FIM” after the 2021 consolidation between the FIM, the Capitol Theatre, and Flint’s Whiting Auditorium.