he Capitol Theatre's long history began over ninety years ago with Frederick Mercy, Sr.'s vision of a grand vaudeville theatre located in downtown Yakima. Construction on his dream project began in 1919. He commissioned renowned theatre architect B. Marcus Pretica, the architect of choice for the great vaudeville impresario Alexander Pantages, to construct his theatre. Another Pantages favorite, A. B. (Tony) Heinsbergen, was hired to create the decorative murals that graced the theatre's interior. The April 5, 1920 opening performance of Maytime brought audiences in droves to see Yakima's showcase. At that time, the Mercy Theatre was the largest theatre in the Pacific Northwest. One year later, the name officially changed to The Capitol Theatre.