Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

CAPITOL THEATRE, ARCHITECTURAL SALVAGE

Date Range From

1929

Date Range To

1973

Materials

FIRED CLAY

No. Pieces

1

Height

6

Length

20.5

Width

9.5

Description

CLAY BRICK, LIGHT RED IN COLOUR WITH AREAS OF WHITE RESIDUE. NO VISIBLE TEXT PRESENT. RECTANGULAR INDENT WITH BEVELED EDGES AT TOP. BOTTOM IS ROUGH IN TEXTURE. SOME CHIPS AND AREAS OF LOSS ALONG EDGES.

Subjects

BUILDING COMPONENT

Historical Association

LEISURE

TRADES

History

THIS BRICK WAS RETRIEVED FROM THE CAPITOL THEATRE DURING ITS DEMOLITION IN OCTOBER 1973, BY BOB SHACKLEFORD, THE OPERATOR OF LETHBRIDGE THEATRES LTD. A PHOTOGRAPH IN THE GALT ARCHIVES (20131008001) SHOWS BOB AND HIS WIFE MILDRED AT THE DEMOLITION, WITH THE BRICK UNDER BOB’S ARM. THE DONOR, JOEY SHACKLEFORD, IS THEIR SON, AND FOUND THE BRICK AND PHOTOGRAPH IN A CEDAR CHEST OWNED BY HIS PARENTS. AT THE TIME OF DONATION, JOEY TOLD GALT COLLECTIONS TECH KEVIN MACLEAN THAT HIS DAD HAD WANTED TO “GET DOWN THERE ON THE LAST DAY AND GET A BRICK”. THE CAPITOL THEATRE WAS DEMOLISHED BEGINNING OCTOBER 24, 1973 AS PART OF OTHER DEMOLITION AND CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS ON 5TH AVENUE SOUTH THAT RESULTED IN THE CONSTRUCTION OF LETHBRIDGE CENTRE MALL AND THE PROVINCIAL BUILDING. LETHBRIDGE THEATRES LTD. WAS OWNED BY THE DONOR’S GRANDFATHER, ALFRED WILLIAM SHACKLEFORD. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHY OF MAYOR SHACKLEFORD WAS DEVELOPED WITH INFORMATION FROM ARCHIVES CANADA ONLINE AND A LETHBRIDGE HERALD TRIBUTE ARTICLE FROM MAY 31, 1992. A.W. SHACKLEFORD WAS BORN IN ESSEX, ENGLAND IN 1899 AND CAME TO CALGARY WITH HIS PARENTS IN 1909. AFTER HIGH SCHOOL HE TRAINED AS A DRAFTSMAN BUT WAS EMPLOYED BY THE FILM EXCHANGE AND FOX FILMS. IN 1921 HE WAS HIRED TO MANAGE THE KING'S THEATRE IN LETHBRIDGE AND BECAME ASSOCIATED WITH MARK ROGERS, A LETHBRIDGE BUSINESSMAN WHO OWNED THREE LOCAL MOVIE THEATRES. SHACKLEFORD ALSO BECAME PARTNER IN THE AMUSEMENT COMPANY THAT OPENED THE HENDERSON LAKE PAVILLION IN 1924. BY 1925 HE WAS PART-OWNER OF THE FORMER EMPRESS THEATRE ON 5TH AVENUE SOUTH, RENAMING IT THE ROXY. HE THEN TEAMED UP WITH THE FAMOUS PLAYERS COMPANY TO REMODEL THE FORMER PALACE THEATRE AND RENAME IT THE CAPITOL. SHACKLEFORD ALSO OPENED THE THEATRE IN THE FORMER COLLEGE MALL, BUILT THE 960-SEAT PARAMOUNT THEATRE ON 4TH AVENUE SOUTH, AND TOOK OVER OPERATION OF THE DRIVE-IN THEATRE AT THE SOUTH CITY LIMITS. SHACKLEFORD WAS HEAVILY INVOLVED IN CIVIC LIFE, ACTIVE IN GROUPS INCLUDING THE CANADIAN CANCER SOCIETY, THE GYRO CLUB, UNITED WAY, LETHBRIDGE & DISTRICT EXHIBITION BOARD, BOARD OF TRADE, ST. AUGUSTINE'S CHURCH, AND THE ALBERTA THEATRE OPERATORS ASSOCIATION. HE AND HIS WIFE ADA HAD TWO SONS, ROBERT AND DOUGLAS. AFTER SEVERAL TERMS AS ALDERMAN STARTING IN 1939, SHACKLEFORD FIRST SERVED AS MAYOR FROM 1944 - 1947, AND FOR TWO MORE TERMS FROM 1952 - 1955 AND 1957 - 1961. HE WORKED FOR 68 YEARS IN THE MOVIE BUSINESS, RETIRING AT AGE 90. W.A. SHACKLEFORD DIED IN LETHBRIDGE ON MAY 30, 1992. SEE PERMANENT FILE P20060025001 FOR HARDCOPIES OF SOURCE MATERIAL. THE FOLLOWING BIOGRAPHY OF ROBERT SHACKLEFORD WAS DEVELOPED WITH INFORMATION FROM THE DECEMBER 19, 2001 ISSUE OF THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD, AND HIS WIFE MILDRED’S OBITUARY. ROBERT SHACKLEFORD WAS BORN IN 1924 AND FROM AN EARLY AGE, BOTH HE AND HIS BROTHER DOUG WORKED IN THEIR FATHER’S MOVIE THEATRES. BOB SERVED ABOARD A DESTROYER IN THE PACIFIC DURING WWII, AND MARRIED HIS HIGH SCHOOL SWEETHEART MILDRED IN 1947. HE EARNED A DEGREE IN BUSINESS FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO AND RETURNED TO LETHBRIDGE WHERE HE JOINED THE FAMILY BUSINESS, OPERATING THE CAPITOL THEATRE, PARAMOUNT THEATRE, AND GREEN ACRES DRIVE-IN. IN 1990 FATHER AND SON RETIRED, SELLING THE TWO REMAINING THEATRES OPERATED BY LETHBRIDGE THEATRES LTD., THE PARAMOUNT AND LETHBRIDGE CENTRE CINEMAS, TO FAMOUS PLAYERS. BOB WAS AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE ROTARY CLUB, ELKS, AND THE LEGION. BOB SHACKLEFORD DIED ON DECEMBER 17, 2001. MILDRED SHACKLEFORD DIED ON MAY 25, 2013. SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR HARDCOPIES OF SOURCE MATERIAL.

Catalogue Number

P20130001000

Acquisition Date

2013-02

Collection

Museum

Less detail