Princess Theatre

Joe Vogel on October 3, 2016 at 1:30 am

I’ve found conflicting information about the Princess Theatre.An article in the September 2, 1916, issue of The Moving Picture World has this story:

“THE Princess, Troy, Ala., owned by Ramsay and Cranch, and managed by J. G. Cranch, was built in 1914, and soon became the amusement center of its locality. The theatre stands on a plot measuring thirty-two by ninety feet, and is described by the owners as being the ‘best naturally ventilated house in that part of the country,’ where ventilation is a prime consideration during the summer months. An indirect lighting system has been installed in the Princess to shed sufficient glow for finding the seats without interfering with the light on the screen.

“The Princess has a seating capacity of 280. A Power’s 6-A projector is the machine in use, with a Mirroide screen. The length of throw is seventy-five feet. A three piece orchestra and a Berry Wood electric piano furnishes the music for the exclusive showing of features. Usually about five shows, five and ten cents, with a ten cent admission at night, consist of the daily performances.

“The lobby is made to serve as an effective advertising adjunct, with a full display of posters in brass frames. The theatre is located in the business district.”

However, according to the nomination form of the Troy Downtown Historic District to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage, the theater in the Masonic Temple operated under three names: it opened as the Royal Theatre on June 5, 1912, in 1915 it became the Walton Theatre, and at an unknown date it became the Princess Theatre, operating under that name for fourteen years.

This article from the Troy Messenger says that the Masonic Temple was built in 1892, and was designed by architect Enoch Crites.

A final bit of conflicting information about the theater itself is that a list of Wilby-Kincey houses published in the January 5, 1935, issue of Motion Picture Herald lists the Princess as a 350 seat house.