Princess Theatre
130 W. 5th Avenue,
Mount Dora,
FL
32757
130 W. 5th Avenue,
Mount Dora,
FL
32757
1 person
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Florida State Theaters Inc., Talgar Theatre Company
Styles: Mediterranean Revival
Nearby Theaters
The Princess Theatre was Mt. Dora’s movie theatre for many years, it was destroyed by fire in 1922. It was rebuilt but was again destroyed by fire on July 4, 1928. It continued into the 1970’s.
The current building opened as the Princess Theatre on January 12, 1929. It was operated for many years by Florida State Theatres. By 1953 it was operated by the Talgar Theatre Company chain. It was closed by MCM Theatres on January 6, 1973. The building became a busy gift shop, but the box office and many inside features are still preserved, although seating has been removed. The building was vacant by 2022.
Contributed by
Irv Lipscomb
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Recent comments (view all 12 comments)
This theatre still has its exterior design. Wonder why keeping it a theatre wasn’t preserved and wonder if there is a effort “afoot” to return the Princess Theatre to the citizens of Mt. Dora?? Hope so!
The former Princess Theatre is now owned by Main Street Leasing. The number is 352-735-0334 if you want to inquire about returning it to the Princess Theatre again!
Hello Patsy.
I was looking forward to meeting you some time back when you were going to visit my theatre in Northampton, but that never happened.
I always enjoy reading your posts.
Richard: Thank you for your kind words and I hope to visit your community someday.
I hope Mount Dora gets their Princess Theatre back someday. I plan to call Main Street Leasing that is now located at the former theatre site and speak with someone about my concerns.
Here is my picture from June 2011. Sorry about the top of it getting washed out. The 3PM sun isn’t too picture-friendly.
What’s the latest with this theatre that needs to be restored and returned to the citizens of Mt. Dora? If the nearby town of Eustis could do it, so can Mt. Dora!
You go, girl!
A 1940s photo of Fifth Avenue showing the Princess Theatre accompanies this article from the April 11, 2016, issue of the Mount Dora Citizen. The article is about the lengthy permitting process for the proposed 12-screen EPIC theaters multiplex set to begin construction this year. The Mount Dora-Eustis area has been without a movie theater since the closing of the Eustis Plaza Twin in July, 1996. The Princess had closed in the 1970s.
The Princess is currently vacant and on the market. The auditorium appears to be relatively intact but in need of some major restoration and upgrading if the future tenant plans to use it again as an entertainment venue. The town draws a lot of tourist so it might have has some potential either as a cinema or live performance hall.