The 1920 Mercy Theatre, designed by B. Marcus Priteca and rebuilt after a 1975 fire, where a stagehand called Shorty allegedly took his life in the catwalks above the stage.
19 S 3rd St, Yakima, WA 98901
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
$
Ticket prices vary by performance; box office open Monday-Friday 11am-4pm and until showtime on performance days. Phone: 509-853-2787.
Access
Wheelchair OK
Fully accessible performing arts venue with elevator and accessible seating.
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1920 · Designed by architect B. Marcus Priteca; opened April 5, 1920 as the Mercy Theatre · Largest theater in the Pacific Northwest at opening · Added to the National Register of Historic Places April 11, 1973 · Devastated by fire August 11, 1975 · Original muralist Anthony Heinsbergen came out of retirement to restore ceiling dome · Rededicated November 4, 1978 by Governor Dixie Lee Ray with sold-out Bob Hope performance
Frederick Mercy Sr. acquired land in downtown Yakima from local church leaders and commissioned Seattle architect B. Marcus Priteca to design a showpiece venue. The Mercy Theatre opened on April 5, 1920 with a production of the Broadway musical "Maytime" and was at the time the largest theater in the Pacific Northwest, seating 1,500 in a Renaissance-influenced interior with an ornate ceiling dome.
The venue transitioned from vaudeville to cinema over the following decades. The Allied Arts Council and the City of Yakima worked to take the theater into public ownership, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 11, 1973, renamed the Capitol Theatre in the process.
On August 11, 1975, a fire swept through the building, destroying most of the interior. Only the stage-house walls and the audience section shell survived. The restoration effort was notable for one particular detail: Anthony Heinsbergen, the artist who had painted the original ceiling murals in 1920, emerged from retirement specifically to repaint the dome as his final commission. Governor Dixie Lee Ray dedicated the rebuilt Capitol Theatre at a grand reopening ceremony on November 4, 1978, featuring a sold-out performance by Bob Hope.
The theater continues to operate as the primary performing arts venue for the Yakima region, hosting the Yakima Symphony Orchestra, Broadway touring productions, and concerts.
Sources
The ghost at the Capitol Theatre has a name, or at least a nickname. According to local lore documented in a Yakima Herald-Republic feature, a stagehand called Shorty worked at the theater sometime after its 1920 opening and fell in love with an actress performing there. When she rejected him, Shorty reportedly took his own life in the catwalks above the stage.
The story has been told at the Capitol Theatre for over eighty years, but the man behind it has proven difficult to verify. Theatre CEO Charlie Robin acknowledged the tradition while noting the uncertainty: efforts to identify Shorty have proved inconclusive. Researchers initially suspected his surname was McCall; later, a Mercy family member suggested Michaud, but searches of Washington burial records found no match.
The phenomena attributed to Shorty are workplace-specific rather than spectacular: toilets flushing without cause, doors locking and unlocking on their own, papers disappearing from and reappearing in the old organ loft area where he supposedly kept an informal office, and an occasional sense of being followed through the backstage passages. The theater has been investigated by local paranormal groups, who report picking up activity in the catwalk areas.
This venue's lore involves an alleged death by suicide. Coverage treats the legend with restraint and does not elaborate on the method beyond what the historical record has established.
Notable Entities
Attend a symphony, Broadway touring production, or other live performance at the 1,500-seat Capitol Theatre. The building was rebuilt after a 1975 fire and rededicated by Governor Dixie Lee Ray in 1978.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
Olympia, WA
Architect Joseph Wohleb designed the Capitol Theater for the Evergreen State Amusement Corporation; it opened October 7, 1924. A fire on April 24, 1937 — caused by spontaneous combustion of a nitrate film reel in the mezzanine janitor's closet — closed the building for four months. The 2001 Nisqually earthquake damaged the ceiling. The Olympia Film Society has operated the theater since 1986.
Jonesboro, AR
Built in 1926 as the Strand Theatre, the Forum Theatre has operated as a downtown Jonesboro performance venue for nearly a century. The Foundation of Arts, a non-profit arts organization, has managed it for decades and continues to produce community theater and musical productions.
Tuscaloosa, AL
Rowand-Johnson Hall houses the University of Alabama's Department of Theatre and Dance and contains the Marian Gallaway Theatre, named for the professor who built the department from 1948 until her retirement in 1973.