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Princess Theatre II
2002 Photo from the Bob Meza collection.
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103 W Oak St
Watseka IL
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| Record #21516 |
Opened:
Closed: Yes (date unknown)
Demolished: Yes (date unknown)
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Capacity:
Architect(s):
Architectural Style(s):
National Register:
Current Organ: none |
| Also Known As: |
Information for this tour was contributed by Bob Meza and Justin West. This is no joke. The owner of the Princess Theatre, in Watseka, IL, built a second screen out of an industrial building. The screen is the wall of the theatre, and a speaker sits on the floor in front of the screen. The room is air conditioned by a household window air conditioner.
This Princess II theatre is located on a street behind the old Watseka Theatre and down a block toward the Princess.
In his zeal to provide first-run product to this small town, the Princess' owner is trying to meet the terms of the distributors, who require multiple week showings (how many small-town 60-seat theaters get films on the break or anywhere close to it?). The owner of the Princess needed a way to accomodate the demands of his customers with the demands of the distributors. There is no balcony at the Princess and there was no room to expand at the current location, and it would make no sense to split it into two 30-seat theaters (Ha!) so he found a location where the owner was willing to lease him the back warehouse space of a retail store. Unfortunately, things have conspired to slow remodeling/development of the new location, whether it is tight funds, problems with carpenters, the theater owner's day job or his summer job working for a friend at his friend's drive-in theatre ... maybe he bit off more than he could chew at once but he is trying to provide a good product and a service to his community.
The building owner is going to replace the AC unit this spring [2003]. A marquee and exterior stucco remodeling will also be performed then. Photos
Photos remain the property of the Member and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the Member. |
November 2005 photos from the Adam Martin collection.
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2003 photos from the Justin West collection.
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Two views of the 47-... | 
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2002 photos from the Bob Meza collection.
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Last featured 10/6/2002. Last edited 12/19/2016.
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