Capitol Arts Center
The Capitol Arts Center is a performing arts theatre also featuring two art galleries located on Fountain Square at 416 E. Main Street in downtown Bowling Green in the U.S. state of Kentucky. History. Known as the Columbia Theatre in the 1890s, the building was originally a vaudeville house. In the 1930s, it was redesigned as a movie house and renamed Capitol Theatre. The theatre doors were closed in 1967 after showing movies for over three decades. The building sat vacant for over 10 years and in 1977 was purchased by a group of citizens formerly known  as the Bowling Green-Warren County Arts Commission. The Capitol Arts Center was reopened in September 1981 after a $1.3 million renovation project. It retains the Art Deco style and decor of its 1930s renovation. The Capitol Arts Center has received funding from the Kentucky Arts Council, an agency of the Kentucky Education, Arts & Humanities Cabinet, and the National Endowment for the Arts. In July 2000, a $6.7 million grant from the Commonwealth of Kentucky was given to fund the Southern Kentucky Performing Arts Center, Inc. (SKyPAC), a facility for larger performing arts productions than the Capitol Arts  Center could host, including tours. SKyPAC manages The Capitol Arts Center, which continues to host theatre productions and concerts as well as weddings, receptions and a variety of community events.