Iowa Theatre

The town of Hopkinton never reached a population above 850 residents yet had two early venues for silent films in its Opera House and he Electric Theatre. The Opera House didn’t move forward into the new era and was retrofitted for other purposes well before the advent of sound. However, the Electric Theatre appears to have been converted to the Belknap Theatre operating in the 1920’s. Bill Reeves took over the venue renaming it as the Princess Theatre. He made industry news for allowing entire families - no matter their size - in for 50 cents, total just prior to the onset of the Depression.

Reeves equipped for sound to remain commercially viable. In 1945, Hoptokon Theatres Co. was incorporated and the venue changed names from the Princess Theatre to the Iowa Theatre. Mr. and Mrs. Floyd H. Wall took over the venue in 1948. The Iowa Theatre closed temporarily after its Christmas show of 1953. The Walls’ New Year’s resolution was apparently to not reopen theatre.

The interior of the theatre was removed in 1958 and then more elements including the marquee were removed in 1961 leaving the Princess Theatre ghost sign. A 1964 fire ensured that the building’s commercial days were challenged. It was incorporated into Tri-State Polishing’s operation next door.

The facade of the theatre still has its box office cut-out in the center in the 2020’s.

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