Capitol Theatre is Singapore's first cinema that was built in 1929 by M.A. Namazie, an early Singapore pioneer of Persian origin.

Capitol Theatre and the Capitol Building is located at the junction of Stamford Road and North Bridge Road.

The theatre has been home to cabaret performances and even a food depot during World War II. It was bombed in 1944 by the anti-Japanese resistance and bought by Shaw organisation for $3.8 million two years later.

Shaw converted it into its flagship movie theatre with 1,686 seats.

Capitol Building is a four-storey apartment building that was originally known as Namazie Mansions. It is located in front of Capitol Theatre.

It was later renamed the Shaw Building and was again changed to Capitol Building after restoration works were completed in 1992. By then, the building had shops and restaurants on the ground floor and offices on the second to fourth floors.

Shaw submitted plans in the 1970s to redevelop both Capitol Theatre and Capital Building into a shopping complex with three screens and 300 serviced apartments but the government approval did not come.

In 1987, the authorities bought the two buildings but continued to lease the cinema to Shaw, which screened its last movie in 1998.

The complex which includes Stamford House and Capitol Centre is now slated for major redevelopment.

The project, coming at a cost of $700 million, will transform the historic complex into a retail, hotel, residential and arts site that is expected to be completed in 2014.

Click on thumbnail to view (Photos: ST, National Museum of Singapore, Stephanie Yeow, Urban Redevelopment Authority, Massimo Vignelli, Capitol Investments)