Kimmel Theatre
212 2nd Street,
Henderson,
KY
42420
212 2nd Street,
Henderson,
KY
42420
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Warner Bros. Circuit Management Corp., Wilby-Kincey
Styles: Colonial Revival
Previous Names: PrincessTheatre, New Kimmel Theatre
Nearby Theaters
Stanley Spoehr opened the Princess Theatre on August 23, 1912 with “The Fate of Mothers”. It operated in the pre-existing Lottie Building. By 1920 it was owned by Leo Keiler. In 1941 it became the New Kimmel Theatre following a remodel which reopened on March 23, 1941 with Loretta Young in “Kansas”. Over the years it was operated by Henderson Theatres, Warner Bros. and Wilby-Kincey.
The Kimmel Theatre was destroyed by a fire on June 14, 1943, the theatre had closed for the night after a screening of “The Kid From Kansas” starring Dick Foran.
Contributed by
Chuck
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Recent comments (view all 2 comments)
The March 20, 1915 issue of Moving Picture World mentioned a Princess Theatre at Henderson which had opened “…over a year ago….” A house called the Princess was listed at Henderson in the 1914-1915 American Motion Picture Directory, unfortunately without an address. An article in the February 21, 1943 Louisville Courier-Journal noted the recent destruction by fire of the Kimmel Theater at Henderson.
It looks like we’ve got the theater’s names out of sequence. The house opened as the Princess by early 1914 and became the Kimmel much later. This must have been in 1941, as the Princess is last listed (though as closed) in that year’s FDY, and the Kimmel first appears in the 1942 edition. Both were listed with 523 seats.
The operator of the Nickelodeon, Stanley Spoehr, launched the Princess Theatre in downtown Henderson on August 23, 1912 with “The Fate of Mothers” in the existing Lottie Building. It received sound in 1929 to remain viable. In February of 1941, the theater closed briefly for a remodeling.
The existing Kimmel Theatre moved to the remodeled venue opening as the New Kimmel Theatre on March 23, 1941 with Loretta Young in “Kentucky.” It was named after building owner Singleton H. Kimmel. The Kimmel placed “The Kid From Kansas” on June 14, 1943 - its last - as shortly after business hours, it would be destroyed by fire.