Princess Theatre
229 SW Adams Street,
Peoria,
IL
61602
229 SW Adams Street,
Peoria,
IL
61602
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There was originally an earlier Princess Theatre at a different location. The Princess Theatre was opened in 1908 with vaudeville, and was located on SW Adams Street at Fulton Street, near the Columbia Theatre. It became a full-time movie theatre in 1916. It was taken over by Balaban & Katz and in 1925 it was remodeled and a new pipe organ was installed when it became a full time movie theatre. In the 1930’s it was remodeled in a Streamline Moderne style. It was acquired by the Kerasotes chain in the early-1950’s and they ran it until it closed on March 19, 1954 with with Rosemary Clooney in “The Stars are Singing” & Ronald Reagan in “Tropic Zone”. It was demolished in 1957 and prior to demolition the pipe organ was purchased by the Becker family and installed in their home.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
The Princess in my time (l942 until it closed in 1954) was always a 2nd-run downtown theater. I find it hard to believe that it only seated 550, as it seemed larger. It had a large balcony, which you could feel shake when anyone of any size walked up or down the steps!
Here’s a great shot of the Princess:
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The Princess Theatre was mentioned in the April 2, 1910, issue of The Billboard. I also found it in the October 7, 1916, issue of The Moving Picture World, which said that the house had discontinued vaudeville and would begin a policy of feature films. The July 4, 1925, issue of MPW had this item:
A 1914 photo of the original entrance of the Princess Theatre can be seen here.The Princess Theatre opened in another location as one of Peoria’s first nickelodeons. Seaver Amusement Co. improved the presentation when it built the new Princess Theatre in 1908. Dee Robinson moved it programmatically to three acts of vaudeville and two, one-reel films between those live performances.
By the 1920s, vaudeville profit margins were thin so the Princess was remodeled with a new pipe organ in 1925 shifting to full-time movies. It received sound to remain commercially viable. It was remodeled getting a streamline moderne sign and other amenitites in the 1930s.
Kerasotes operated it into the TV age and sublet it to an independent for its final months. Its final films were largely exploitation films and discount double features on a grind policy. The Princess was abdicated on March 19, 1954 with a shoppers' special of “The Stars are Singing” and “Tropic Zone” churning from 11a to 11p.
The Becker family acquired / salvaged the Princess Theatre’s pipe organ at its closure and prior to its 1957 demolition for the $3 million Central Illinois Light Company (CILCO) building. It was still in usage in their home in the 1960s.