Capitol Centre
Encyclopedia
Capitol Centre is an indoor shopping centre in the city of Cardiff
, Wales
. The building is built on the site of the former Capitol Cinema and theatre, and is situated at the eastern end of Queen Street near the Dumfries Place bus terminus and Cardiff Queen Street railway station
.
It advertises itself as the premier shopping destination in Cardiff, with a focus on the higher end of women's fashion, including tenants such as, Jaeger, Dune
, Phase Eight, Hobbs, Eden Park
, Internacionale, Moda in Pelle and Austin Reed. It is anchored by a large H&M
store, with the front of the centre being dominated by Sports Direct
since Virgin Megastores and Zavvi ceased operations in 2009.
Other tenants of the centre include: Cafe Caribe and Soho Coffee Company both long established cafe restaurants. Pulse Cafe Bar & Nightclub is also part of the centre, albeit with a separate external entrance. Orange, 3
, Halifax plc, BSkyB, Vidal Sassoon
, Monsoon Accessorize, Mac
, Boots
& Fat Face
.
Opened in 1990, the centre was originally built to mimic Victorian architecture
which was a very popular style of design during the late 1980s and early 1990s for shopping centres; but the centre was also inspired by many of Cardiff's late 19th century Victorian arcades (much like Queens Arcade which opened in 1994 and more recently the new St. Davids centre expansion). Unfortunately this style of build dated very quickly and in 1999, the centre underwent a £10 million redevelopment, which included the refurbishment of the pedestrian areas, the removal of the food court
and new entrances into the centre (although much of the original external facade still remains). It was completed in November 1999.
up until 2001, however following the closure of the cinema, this area of the centre has not been used.
There are plans to develop 164 apartments, plus retail and commercial space and additional car parking facilities at the corner of North Edward Street and Station Terrace. This would provide 50 per cent additional spaces, bringing the total car parking spaces up to 632.
The scheme architects are Dobson Architects and it is expected that the new scheme could be completed by 2012.
The opening of the extended St David's Shopping Centre and Council changes to road access has had a significant effect on footfall within the centre and been a major driver for the redevelopment of the shopping centre. In additions to the changes above, the redevelopment will include the complete redesign of the first floor shopping space, relocation of the existing tenants and the arrival of a major tenant to occupy the majority of the newly created space.
Cardiff
Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
, Wales
Wales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
. The building is built on the site of the former Capitol Cinema and theatre, and is situated at the eastern end of Queen Street near the Dumfries Place bus terminus and Cardiff Queen Street railway station
Cardiff Queen Street railway station
Cardiff Queen Street railway station is Wales' second busiest railway station in Cardiff, Wales. It is one of 20 stations in the city and two in the city centre, the other being Cardiff Central...
.
Dune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
, Phase Eight, Hobbs, Eden Park
Eden Park
Eden Park is the biggest stadium in Auckland, New Zealand. It is used primarily for rugby union in winter and cricket in summer . The ground also occasionally hostts rugby league matches. To accommodate all three sports, the cricket pitch is removable...
, Internacionale, Moda in Pelle and Austin Reed. It is anchored by a large H&M
H&M
H & M Hennes & Mauritz AB is a Swedish retail-clothing company, known for its fast-fashion clothing offerings for women, men, teenagers and children....
store, with the front of the centre being dominated by Sports Direct
Sports Direct
Sports Direct International plc is a British retailing group. Founded in 1982 by former county squash coach Mike Ashley, the company is now the UK's largest sporting retailer through a number of retail subsidiaries and sports equipment brands. Although now a publicly traded company on the London...
since Virgin Megastores and Zavvi ceased operations in 2009.
Other tenants of the centre include: Cafe Caribe and Soho Coffee Company both long established cafe restaurants. Pulse Cafe Bar & Nightclub is also part of the centre, albeit with a separate external entrance. Orange, 3
Hutchison 3G
3 is a brand name under which several UMTS-based mobile phone networks and Broadband Internet Providers are operated in Australia, Austria, Denmark, Hong Kong, Macau, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Sweden, and the United Kingdom...
, Halifax plc, BSkyB, Vidal Sassoon
Vidal Sassoon
Vidal Sassoon, CBE is a widely recognised British hairdresser, credited with creating a simple geometric, "Bauhaus-inspired" hair style, also called the bob...
, Monsoon Accessorize, Mac
MAC
-Aviation:* Martin's Air Charter, now Martinair* Mean Aerodynamic Chord* Merchant aircraft carrier, used during World War II by Britain and the Netherlands.* Metropolitan Airports Commission, the operator of airports in the Minneapolis-St...
, Boots
Boots UK
Boots UK Limited , is a leading pharmacy chain in the United Kingdom, with outlets in most high streets throughout the country...
& Fat Face
Fat Face
Fat Face is a chain of clothing retailers selling its own branded products. The company has over 190 stores in the United Kingdom, with international stores in Singapore, Malaysia, the United Arab Emirates, Ireland, France, Kuwait, Oman and Qatar. The chain sells clothes aimed at men, women and...
.
Opened in 1990, the centre was originally built to mimic Victorian architecture
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
which was a very popular style of design during the late 1980s and early 1990s for shopping centres; but the centre was also inspired by many of Cardiff's late 19th century Victorian arcades (much like Queens Arcade which opened in 1994 and more recently the new St. Davids centre expansion). Unfortunately this style of build dated very quickly and in 1999, the centre underwent a £10 million redevelopment, which included the refurbishment of the pedestrian areas, the removal of the food court
Food court
A food court is generally an indoor plaza or common area within a facility that is contiguous with the counters of multiple food vendors and provides a common area for self-serve dining. Food courts may be found in shopping malls and airports, and in various regions may be a standalone development...
and new entrances into the centre (although much of the original external facade still remains). It was completed in November 1999.
Future developments
The centre had originally also housed a five-screen Odeon cinemaOdeon Cinemas
Odeon Cinemas is a British chain of cinemas, one of the largest in Europe. It is owned by Odeon & UCI Cinemas Group whose ultimate parent is Terra Firma Capital Partners.-History:Odeon Cinemas was created in 1928 by Oscar Deutsch...
up until 2001, however following the closure of the cinema, this area of the centre has not been used.
There are plans to develop 164 apartments, plus retail and commercial space and additional car parking facilities at the corner of North Edward Street and Station Terrace. This would provide 50 per cent additional spaces, bringing the total car parking spaces up to 632.
The scheme architects are Dobson Architects and it is expected that the new scheme could be completed by 2012.
The opening of the extended St David's Shopping Centre and Council changes to road access has had a significant effect on footfall within the centre and been a major driver for the redevelopment of the shopping centre. In additions to the changes above, the redevelopment will include the complete redesign of the first floor shopping space, relocation of the existing tenants and the arrival of a major tenant to occupy the majority of the newly created space.