Princess Theater
169 S. Main Street,
Memphis,
TN
38103
169 S. Main Street,
Memphis,
TN
38103
2 people
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August 18, 1971, Memphis Press Scimitar, (Memphis, Tennessee) page 39
(photo of the Princess and 3 addition buildings to its north, with windows removed and scaffold-like guards erected over the sidewalks. )
Main Street Landmarks Are Being Leveled Memphis Housing Authority has begun razing buildings on Main Between Gayoso and Linden under its urban renewal program. These landmarks are being torn down on the west side of Main north of Beale – including the old Princess theatre, the old Monarch Hotel and Dixie Finance Co., The area is planned for new commercial development.
Razing on Main Called Too Slow
By Orville Hancock, Press-Scimitar Staff Writer
All of Main Street between Gayoso and Linden eventually will be leveled in an Urban Renewal Project except for a few buildings, but the rate of demolition isn’t satisfactory to some of the businessmen downtown.
Neither is the razing satisfactory to Paul Borda, Memphis Housing Authority board chairman. He asked MHA officials today to try to do more on Main in removal of vacant buildings. “These buildings that are vacant and boarded up are drawing many complaints from merchants” Borda said. “You can understand why, because the shoppers are afraid to walk past these boarded up structures with their air of desolation. Especially at night, they don’t want to walk past.”
Borda said he hoped demolition of the buildings slated to be razed for urban renewal could be speeded up and maybe the sites leveled and used for parking to bring more people into Main.
Randall Johnson, director of planning for urban renewal, said all buildings slated for demolition are expected to be leveled by March next year (1972 ed.). However, the contract sets the razing deadline for December of the same year.
Even though the contract is for December, we expect to have the buildings down by March if not held up by unforeseen circumstances,” Johnson said.
McCall is a key street in urban renewal plans. It will be extended from Main to Second where it will join with a loop street to included Main, Handy and Linden.
Johnson said buildings on McCall will be removed first. All structures on Main from Gayoso to Linden will be torn down except Goldsmith’s, Shainberg’s, Haverty’s, Malco Theatre and of course, the new Memphis Light Gas and Water Division building which was part of the urban renewal plan in the first place. It is the first structure to be built in the renewal area.
Johnson said vacant buildings can be torn down fairly soon if they don’t have party walls with other buildings that are still occupied.
MHA has a policy of renting the structures they have for demolition up to near time for demolition if the tenants want to rent them.
He said there is some hesitancy to fill in the building sites that had cellars because they sell more readily and at better prices to someone who wants to excavate for underground floors.
Regarding the comment about Dirty Harry playing at the Princess: the Princess had been part of the Malco chain and was only a half block north of The Malco itself. Dirty Harry opened first run at The Malco Theatre (née Orpheum) on Christmas Day 1971 and ran through Thursday February 10, 1972. The Memphis Press Scimitar newspaper has a photo of the Princess being torn down August 18, 1971. Additionally, the Princess had been closed since 1969 and seats removed and sold to Playhouse on the Square.
The Princess opened on August 5th, 1912. Grand opening ad posted
As far as I know, the Princess didn’t bother with an ad in the newspapers after March or so, 1966. But, as mentioned above, I think it continued to operate until early in 1969.
There is reference to the Princess having a Kimball organ. In David Bowers “Encyclopedia of Automated Musical Instruments” p. 551 is a reference to the installation of a Reproduco organ (probably a photoplayer) at the Princess. There is no date: maybe it preceded the Kimball.
There is additional information about and pictures of the Princess on this webpage.
My wife and I were in the theater watching ‘Dirty Harry’ the night Mary Pearcy was shot at the Malco. Policemen everywhere and we could not exit through the front. Had to find out what happened on the news.
The Princess probably had that reputation because it stank. It had a men’s room but it was easier to use the storm drain in the alley on the south side. The Princess was legendary because of that and convenient because the concession stand was outdoors. It stank even after it closed, inside and out, and during demolition. I remember hearing from people I knew that it was a “colored theatre” on Main St. It had some upper levels because my father bought some of the fire escape stairs for a project of his. Also some of the balcony rails from Loew’s State. That’s how I got my mementos from the State and a glimpse of the ruins of the Princess. BTW, Mary Pearcy was shot in the boxoffice of the Malco in late 1971, just before “Hair” reopened the stage in January 1972. It was an attempted robbery. After that, the bulletproof glass was installed which remains today. Malco did not use the window facing Main ever again. I was at the theatre before and after and I will never forget that night.
this theater was still in business when i was a boy of 11 or 12.this would have been in 1967 or so.in those days it was still safe and accepted for kids to ride the bus downtown and see movies at the malco,loews state etc…however we were warned not to go to movies at the princess as that was where the perverts hung out.i have no idea if that reputation was warranted or not.
Thanks Ken.
There was a photo of the concession stand in Boxoffice, June 1960:
http://tinyurl.com/ycbewra
According to Bowers' “Encyclopedia of Automatic Musical Instruments” page 551, there was a Reproduco organ made by the Operators Piano Co. installed at the Princess at one time.
I heard that about the Malco cashier too, from Bill Kendall. Sorry I don’t have more details. I do know that when I came back to Mempho in 1972, the Malco/Orpheum had bulletproof glass installed in the box office.
The cashier at the Malco (Orpheum) a half-block south was killed by a gun man around the time of the 1968 riots. I never heard anything about a murder at the Princess, but it certainly isn’t beyond the relm of possibility.
Wasn’t there a murder in the Princess?
Hi, Will, Yes I was in Memphis in the early 50’s – in fact, lived in apartment complexes near Main street – on the north end of town. Memphis was such a different place in those days. A much nicer place. What did the Princess look like – as I remember, much smaller front than the others on main street. The ticket window was on the left front, and I believe the concession stand was actually to the outside left, just behind the ticket window. It may have been just inside the doors – to the left. I don’t remember a balcony level to the theatre, as most of the larger ones had – just the one level. It had the standard size screen – and most, if not all, movies, were in black and white. Cartoons, however were in color. Yes, I remember also the Strand, and the Malco. They were more upscale, and therefore more expensive – never having much money, I frequented the Princess, when downtown. The Suzzore, did have a balcony, and before I left Memphis, in 1955, the theatre began serving blacks – in the balcony. (Before that time, blacks had their own movie theatres in the Beale street area) Rumor had it, that Mr Suzzores had been involved in an automobile accident, apparently injuring a black individual or family, and they sued, eventually gaining part ownership in the north main street theatre – I don’t know if that’s factual or not – but as a kid, I remember the problems it caused, as the black kids began throwing items, from the balcony, down on the white patrons below. In retirement, I eventually moved to NE AR, near Memphis, and sometimes visit Memphis, and stroll along the main street areas. Nothing is the same (nor should it be, I guess) but it is depressing to me – and sad – to see what Memphis has become.
Lee, THANK YOU for writing. Please write in with ANY memory of what the Princess looked like. Same for the Suzore. Thus far, no photos or descriptions have turned up for either hall. Sometimes childhood memories can be vivid.
If you were downtown during the early ‘50’s surely you went to the Strand, the two Loew’s theatres and the Malco. Hope you’ll reminisce about all of them.
From 1950 through 1955, as a child, I enjoyed many an afternoon at the Princess theatre. Usually always showing was a double feature cowboy movie, several cartoons, movie previews, and of course, the latest ‘News Reel’. The news reel was kind of like watching the afternoon news on TV – except most of us didn’t own TVs in those days. Child admission was a dime, adult was 25 cents, popcorn, a dime, candy and coke was 5 cents each. Back down Main Street, on the north end, was another neighborhood movie theatre favorite – named ‘Suzzore Theatre’. Very similiar to the Princess. While urban renewal and redevelopment, most times are good, it’s difficult to return to a ‘Main Street’ that is no longer as we remember. In the 50’s, Main Street, Memphis, was a nice place to visit and spend time – no more – it’s really sad.
From 1950 through 1955, as a child, I enjoyed many an afternoon at the Princess theatre. Usually always showing was a double feature cowboy movie, several cartoons, movie previews, and of course, the latest ‘News Reel’. The news reel was kind of like watching the afternoon news on TV – except most of us didn’t own TVs in those days. Child admission was a dime, adult was 25 cents, popcorn, a dime, candy and coke was 5 cents each. Back down Main Street, on the north end, was another neighborhood movie theatre favorite – named ‘Suzzore Theatre’. Very similiar to the Princess. While urban renewal and redevelopment, most times are good, it’s difficult to return to a ‘Main Street’ that is no longer as we remember. In the 50’s, Main Street, Memphis, was a nice place to visit and spend time – no more – it’s really sad.
The Princess was torn down about 1972 to make way for a parking lot. It was razed during the same urban renewal sweep that destroyed the Strand and the Lowe’s State: a dark time when about 10 blocks of historic buildings, mom & pop businesses and several churches were lost to “progress.” The empty wasteland remained for 20 years. Only in the 1990’s did redevelopment take hold on the south side of downtown.
I never went to the Princess, but walked and drove past it many times. It was on the West side of Main Street across from and a little North of Loew’s State. I don’t remember how it looked, but do recall the many wierd multiple bills on the marquee. They might have two westerns, a science fiction space opera, and a Roger Corman horror movie showing continuously. A popular joke was that if you were really down-and-out, you could always get a job at the Princess carrying the dead cowboys and monsters off the stage. Ah, memories.