Princess Theater
111 Cumberland Street E,
Lebanon,
TN
37087
111 Cumberland Street E,
Lebanon,
TN
37087
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Crescent Amusement Co.
Functions: Retail
Previous Names: New Lyric Theatre
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The New Lyric Theatre was opened prior to 1908. It was renovated and reopened as the Princess Theater in October 1926 open in 1926. The shell of the Princess Theater is located a half-block off the town square. It was converted to retail space in the 1950’s. The Vitrolite Art Deco facade was intact into the 1980’s though any trace of a marquee was long gone even then. The Vitrolite facade was removed, no doubt the current owner hoping to find a buried architectural treasure. What he found was a blank brick wall without even the mortar joints raked.
Located in mid-block, there was no other outstanding architectural feature. The interior is gutted and the floor leveled.
Grandmother remembers seeing silents there accompanied by an organ.
Contributed by
Will Dunklin
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Recent comments (view all 12 comments)
Here is a current photo of what remains of the Princess.
Jack, thanks for the photo. I notice the dates 1945-1955 on the image. Are these the operating dates of the Princess? Grandma might have been wrong about which theatre she saw films in. Or maybe this building replaced an earlier one. Grandma has been gone for many years now, too late to ask for additional details.
Thank you for bringing this to my attention. I know never to doubt ones grandmother. These dates are the years the theatre appeared in the Film Weekly Journal Yearbook. This building, which formerly was the Princess, was built in 1900, years before the FWJY came to print (your inquiry prompted me the change the dates on the photo). From what I have been able to gather so far is that the Princess was in operation during the 1920s and possibly earlier.
In the late 1940s the Princess and the Ritz in Lebanon were part of the Crescent Amusement Company, headquarted in Nashville.
Yes thats right Ken mc.
My name is linda Harris and on the behalf of Russell Witt 11 Iam pulling information together about his father and the auto polo event. If you have any infomation and or pictures please share. Send it to my facebook page linda harris or e-mail . Send it to Witt Sign Co. P. O. Box 784 Lebanon TN 37088-0784 Thank You, Linda Harris
Two old references to theaters in Lebanon might or might not refer to the Princess. One is from The Moving Picture World of May 3, 1913:
The other item is from the December 23, 1922, issue of The American Contractor:The New Lyric Theatre mentioned in the first item was a 662-seat house that was listed in the 1913-1914 Cahn-Leighton guide, but it was mentioned in Variety at least as early as 1908. Any of these three theaters (assuming the Crescent project of 1922 was carried to completion) could have been the house that became the Princess.David Bowers' book “Encyclopedia of Automated Musical Instruments,” page 551 has a list of installations of Reproduco pipe organs. That list mentions the Howard Theatre, Lebanon, Tennessee. Never heard of the Howard myself. Any thoughts? Wonder if it was a short lived name for this hall?
The March 1913 Sanborn map of Lebanon calls this building the New Lyric Theatre, showing a respectable stage but listed as showing motion pictures.
The Nashville Banner newspaper, October 5, 1926 page 12 reports:
Lebanon, Tenn. Oct 5 - (Special.) The Princess theater, Lebanon’s new $50,000 theater, built by the Crescent Amusement Company of Nashville opened here Monday night with Colleen Moore in “It Must Be Love.”
It is claimed by the management that the new theater is the most complete and the most artistic theater in any town in the state the size of Lebanon. The seating capacity is 800, a balcony being provided for colored people seating 150.The theater is provided with upholstered seats and special lighting effects and cooling system. A new heating plant has also been installed.
John Hatcher, manager of the Howard theater (about a block north, ed) for the past two years, will be in active charge of the new Princess.