Princess Theatre

The new owners is church on the rock pastored by robert mattingly. this surprised me.

Shelby and Tiffany, I am sorry to hear of the closing and auction of your theatre. You were always great customers of mine when I worked at Regal Dist. I hope everything goes well for you in the future.

For decades, the Princess 3 Theatre brought visitors to downtown Aurora with the smell of wafting popcorn and the sight of captivated audiences enjoying movies. While the theater has been silent since 2009, it remained as a fixture on Olive Street, and at times a tourist attraction. The building will remain, but it will be under new ownership and possibly hold a new function. The Princess 3 Theater building and all its contents will be up for auction on November 12. “We are looking for someone to love it (the theater), as much as we do,” owner Tiffany Ruble said. “We want to sell it to someone who will keep it up,” owner Shelby Ruble said. The building will sell at 10:01 a.m., while the contents of the theater will be sold afterward, including a popcorn machine from the 1950s, sound system, memorabilia, etc. Diamond S Auction Co. is handling the auction. “If someone does want to come in and keep the building as a theater, they will most likely want all updated equipment,” Tiffany Ruble said. History The original Princess Theatre’s building served as a National Guard Armory and was built in 1906. In 1907, it was converted to an opera house, with the addition of a stage and balcony. The building had become dilapidated by 1922, when it was repaired and converted into a movie house by D.E. Pitton and J. Glenn Caldwell. Caldwell eventually became sole owner, and in 1939, he gave the Princess a complete modernization. On February 27, 1943, a fire started in the balcony from a cigarette and the building was destroyed beyond repair. Caldwell approached the War Board for permission to rebuild. He was granted permission on the conditions he used the original brick. The Boller-designed Princess opened December 16, 1943, with “True to Life,” starring Mary Martin and Dick Powell. The original movie poster still hangs in the theater’s lobby. Shelby Ruble purchased the theater in 1992 and operated it until 2009, when he suffered multiple heart attacks. The Princess theatre was designed by the same architect as the Landers Theatre in Springfield and the Route 66 Movie Theatre in Webb City. The Rubles have established a Facebook page for those who wish to share their memories of the theater.

Oh and I found a picture of the Princess that burned down look in the photo album

There is some great info on the PRINCESS Theatre, on Facebook, under Princess 3 Theatre in Aurora,MO

It is very depressing that the theatre closed. I am currently living in Springfield, and always wanted to go down to Aurora to check out this theatre. Unfortunately I am too late, though I may stop by sometime to take a few pictures and maybe contact the current owner of the building to see what the future holds.

Nice looking theatre.

Thanks Chuck. I was wondering why the Princess website used the number 3 in their name being that this theater is listed as a single screen.

In 1940 there are three theaters listed for Aurora. The Princess, the Caldwell and the Aurora. The Caldwell had 250 seats and the Aurora had 300 seats. Both are listed as closed. All three theaters are still listed in 1945 only that year the Aurora is the only one listed as closed. In 1950 the Aurora is gone. The Caldwell is listed with 240 seats that year. Based on the seat counts, the Aurora and the Caldwell might have been different theaters.

Why is the name on their website “Princess 3 Theatre” if they only have one screen? Is this the third Princess Theatre building?

An Aurora Theater is listed in 1940 as closed with 300 seats. Not sure if it’s the same theater that your thinking of.

Here is a website for the Princess 3 Theater in Aurora, MO.