Princess Theatre
14 W. Olive Street,
Aurora,
MO
65605
14 W. Olive Street,
Aurora,
MO
65605
4 people
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Princess Theatre “#2” opened December 16, 1943 with Mary Martin in “True to Life.” It replaced the original Princess Theatre which closed and was converted to Cliff’s Cafe, a local restaurant owned by Clifford Schaefer.
Hello Mr. Ruble. I don’t know if you will see this, but I recently had a tour around the theater, which is now Engage Church, and wanted to let you know that it is in good hands. They really care for the preservation of this theater. A few things that I would like to point out is that they still have all of the theater equipment just in case they want to convert it back. All the lights, signs, both projectors, and the reel machines. The projector equipment is still all in the original spots. And the theater itself still looks like a theater on the inside. Everything is original and in great shape! I hope you know now how much they care for this theater.
Thanks! Larry even 20 years under my belt at the Princess, I still miss it! But having 3 heart attacks in a single day, ruint all then with that scared customers away or they finding out deserted the Princess, that seemed to go down hill fast. Lost my home, my business, and if it for my wife, everything would been lost. We now life in a fantastic resort town on the flathead lake in north west Montana. Where we love it. But business can f u up seriously.but the Princess will never be the same and the chruch on the rock screwed it over and no longer a church, guess the holy spirit was with them. I have heard another clutch is going to give it a go. And like “Forrest Hump” “I guess that’s all I have to say about that” I sometimes wish I could’ve ran the Princess,but I look around where my family and I live now and I’ll never go back to misery,sorry I meant missouri. Thanks! For remembering me in such kindness.
The new owners is church on the rock pastored by robert mattingly. this surprised me.
Shelby and Tiffany, I am sorry to hear of the closing and auction of your theatre. You were always great customers of mine when I worked at Regal Dist. I hope everything goes well for you in the future.
http://www.diamond-s-auction.com/2011Auctions/PrincessTheaterAuction/PrincessTheaterListing.htm
Princess Theatre in Aurora, MO The Beautiful PRINCESS Theatre BUILDING is now Available through an ABSOLUTE AUCTION With No RESERVE!on Sat, Nov. 12, 2011 at 10:01AM Any Questions can be answered by Diamond S Auction Co. at 417-326-2828. The PRINCESS Theatre has been in operation since it opened on December 16, 1943 (68 YEARS) of Entertainment Excellence! DONT MISS YOUR CHANCES TO OWN THIS HISTORIC LANDMARK!
There is some great info on the PRINCESS Theatre, on Facebook, under Princess 3 Theatre in Aurora,MO
From 2010 photos of the Princess Theatre in Aurora. (Click thumbnails for larger view).
It is very depressing that the theatre closed. I am currently living in Springfield, and always wanted to go down to Aurora to check out this theatre. Unfortunately I am too late, though I may stop by sometime to take a few pictures and maybe contact the current owner of the building to see what the future holds.
Nice looking theatre.
Went by to take pictures of the Princess yesterday and found it closed and for sale due to “owner’s heart condition” with the years of operation on the middle marquee. Plan to get a Flickr account after the first of the year and will post the pictures.
I’ve been unable to find out anything about the Aurora Theatre in Boxoffice, but between 1943 and 1947 there are a few references to Glen Caldwell being the operator of the Princess and Caldwell Theatres in Aurora. I wonder if he reopened the former Aurora under the name Caldwell when the Princess burned in 1943, then kept it open for a few years after the Princess was rebuilt? None of the Boxoffice items I’ve read are telling.
The Boller-designed Princess was a replacement for an older Princess Theater which was damaged beyond repair by a fire in March, 1943. Lead architect Robert Boller wrote an article about the reconstructed theater which was published in the July 21, 1945, issue of Boxoffice Magazine.
The original Princess Theatre’s building had been built as a National Guard Armory in 1900. In 1907, it was converted to an opera house, with the addition of a stage and balcony. The building had become dilapidated by 1922, when it was repaired and converted into a movie house by D.E. Pitton and J. Glenn Caldwell. Caldwell eventually became sole owner, and in 1939 he gave the Princess a complete modernization.
Following the fire, despite wartime restrictions and shortages of labor and materials, with considerable assistance from other businesses in Aurora Caldwell managed to get the Princess Theatre rebuilt and opened before the end of 1943.