Princess Airdome

The Airdome was originally planned four years prior to its 1914 construction. On April 19, 1910, E.N. Bell of Centralia was contemplating building an airdome on his lots in the east part of town between both Centralia and Mexico. While he has not fully decided upon building but the plans he has in contemplation would make a large convenient showplace. He contemplates making the enclosure in a circle with the stage and the box office located both at opposite sides. The stage will be made to accommodate standard size scenery with both drops and flats and the general plan of the building for convenience and comfort, including lots being located convenient to the business and central portion of Centralia.

It took at approximately four years for them to make a discussion. Finally on the morning hours of June 23, 1914, erection was made and the construction starts for the airdome led by C.E. Shock and Ross McVey of St. Louis after giving permission to erect on the Odd Fellows lots. The building though was rushed, and the airdome’s original name was given by the management as the “Princess Airdome”.

The Princess Airdome (or the Princess Theatre) on the Odd Fellow Lots in the northeast corner square of Centralia opened its doors on July 7, 1914 with Ford Sterling in “In the Clutches of the Gang” along with two drama shorts (films unlisted on grand opening advertisement), and had a total capacity of 650 seats. The management replied to the Centralia Fireside Guard that they had billed the opening very strongly but up to 7:30 PM that evening is when the electricians had not gotten the juice up to the projection owing to a defect in the new rheostat so they decided that they would not open up the film until the following evening. Both Rafferty and Shock were able to work with the projector until they finally got it working. The lights had not been wired up to the piano and it was impossible to give any music but the crowd was interested in the program without its entirety of the piano player. It was a success for the patrons despite having a very harsh start for the management.

Unfortunately, the 650-seat Princess Airdome did not last long at all. After two full months of operation, Shock and McVey closed the theater on September 11, 1914 with a Kaiser & Lucas attraction following severe weather in the area but was then determined that the theater closed for good due to poor management despite having good business. They managed to put the picture up in the town’s Opera House (which Centralia also already had the operating Gem Theatre at the time). The Princess Airdome was demolished the following week and portions of the steel walls were given to the farmers.