Princess Theatre

203 S. Jefferson Avenue,
Iola, KS 66749

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SethG
SethG on May 18, 2025 at 8:20 pm

I do not think the address is right. While 203 is indeed a taxi station on the 1917 map, it is furniture storage on the 1912 map (and an armory in 1905). I see no theaters on the east side except for the Elite at 3 S Jefferson in 1912, and moved to 1 S Jefferson in 1917.

Joe Vogel
Joe Vogel on April 24, 2017 at 7:33 pm

Do we have the correct address for the Princess? An item in the February 28, 1910, issue of The Iola Register ran this item:

“PARKOLA THEATRE SOLD. Wichita Firm Buys East Side Amusement Place. The Parkola theater, on the east side of the square, has been sold to Wichita men who will take charge of the place a week from tomorrow and conduct it as a moving picture theatre. The new management is experienced and is financially able to secure the best of entertainment maintaining the high reputation of this amusement place.”
203 S. Jefferson is in the block south of the square, not the east side of the square.

If 203 S. Jefferson actually is the correct location, then the building is a theater again, being both a rehearsal space and secondary performance space for the Iola Community Theatre group, though their web site doesn’t mention anything about the building having once housed a movie house, and I think it would have been mentioned if it had (and they knew about it.)