Barcelona City Council has approved plans to recover Teatre Capitol as a municipal cultural venue, keeping the historic theatre in city ownership. The vote was backed by the socialist government, Junts and the PP.
The plan keeps the two existing auditoriums, with 402 seats in one and 198 in the other. Officials said management will be awarded through a public tender, similar to the process used for other city venues such as Paral·lel 62.
The project follows an agreement between the government and Junts to reactivate the Capitol as a municipal facility. The council says the aim is to reopen the theatre in 2028, after the required works and administrative steps are completed.
The building will also house administrative space. The top two floors are set to contain the Central Services offices of the city’s Library Consortium, under an agreement with the building’s owners.
To make that possible, the block at 2 Carrer de Fontanella will be reclassified. Officials said the change will create a capital gain, which will help fund part of the theatre renovation and the adaptation of the Library Consortium offices.
The approval is the final administrative step for the council. The plan now goes to the Generalitat’s Urban Planning Sub-commission for final approval before renovation work can move ahead.
