The Princess Theater
Construction of the Princess Theater in Rushville began nearly 100 years ago, in 1916. The building was designed and constructed by Carl Pearson. On May 12th, 1917, the theater had its grand opening. At this time it was one of the most modern theaters around. According to the Rushville Times article in published shortly before the opening, it was "one of the most completely equipped amusement houses in Central Illinois". The matinee prices were $.05 and $.10, while the evening shows were $.10 and $.20. As with all films of the time, the theaters grand opening featured a silent film, "Fires of Conscience" in six parts. From its opening in 1917 until the early 1990s, the Princess Theater, though operating under several different names, served the community. When the theater closed its doors in 1992, it did not take long for Rushville to realize how much they missed have a theater in Rushville. The next closest theater was 30 miles away in Macomb. It did not offer the same convenience or low prices. It was shortly there after that the Princess Theater Corporation was formed. This group of citizens worked together to find a way to bring back Rushville's movie theater. In 1995, the Princess Theater was re-opened and has been going ever since, only closing briefly for remodeling. The Princess Theater Corporation was successful in raising the necessary funds. One way they achieved this was through selling shares. They sold 541 shares at $100 a piece. They were able to complete the renovations that would attract customers and keep the theater up-to-date. Since 1995, it has relied heavily on volunteer workers. It still runs as a one-screen theater and shows recent releases every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evening. In 1996, the Princess Theater received a Governor's Hometown Award for its excellence Through Volunteers. The video to the right of this text gives you an inside-look at the Princess Theater and shows how it has transformed overtime to keep up with innovation in audio and visual technologies. |
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