Encyclopedia Dubuque
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Affiliated with the Local History Network of the State Historical Society of Iowa, and the Iowa Museum Association.
PRINCESS THEATRE
PRINCESS THEATRE. Once this was a popular entertainment center adjacent to the Federal Bank Building (now AMERICAN TRUST AND SAVINGS BANK in TOWN CLOCK PLAZA). Constructed in 1908 on the site of the CAVE CIGAR COMPANY (THE) and Clay's Barber Shop, the Princess Theater ended what one skeptic called a legacy of "paper theaters," ones that never went beyond the stage of blueprints.
Built to specifications of William L. BRADLEY, Sr., the Princess was heralded as employing the most modern theater design. Thomas CARKEEK, the architect, planned for a building that could be used to host a variety of entertainments ranging from vaudeville to picture shows. The two-story building was planned with state-of-the-art fireproofing with each opening leading from the machine room to the auditorium supplied with an automatic steel shutter. It was claimed the insurance rates for the theater were lower than for any other in the state due to these precautions. There was also a maximum-sized stage and seating capacity for 550. (1) The cost of construction using marble, cement, steel and terra cotta was estimated to be $30,000.
The Princess Theater was opened in September 1909. (2) It's entrance finished in white marble and mosaic made it especially attractive. The theater offered four entertainments daily beginning at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. A motion picture was followed by a vaudeville performance. This sequence was repeated with a new motion picture and a different act. The admission price was ten cents.
The Princess was Dubuque's first theater to employ an orchestra to perform during silent films. Sound was installed at the Princess in 1927. The name of the theater was changed to the AVON THEATER under the ownership of James N. YIANNIAS. (3) The building was demolished in 1957 for the construction of the store of the J. C. PENNEY COMPANY and later became the site of the AMERICAN TRUST AND SAVINGS BANK annex and later MARKET PLACE DUBUQUE.
The 1913 Dubuque and Dubuque County Directory and 1918 Dubuque City Directory stated that this business was located at 871 Main.
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Source:
1. "Avon Theatre in Dubuque," Cinema Treasures, Online: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/18246
2. Oldt, Franklin T. History of Dubuque County, Iowa. http://www.ebooksread.com/authors-eng/franklin-t-oldt/history-of-dubuque-county-iowa-being-a-general-survey-of-dubuque-county-histor-tdl/page-23-history-of-dubuque-county-iowa-being-a-general-survey-of-dubuque-county-histor-tdl.shtml
3. Julien's Journal, May 1993, p. 26
4. Ibid.
