Princess Theatre
424 McKean Avenue,
Donora,
PA
15033
424 McKean Avenue,
Donora,
PA
15033
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The Princess Theatre was opened by 1935. It was still open in 1952 but had closed by 1955. It was converted into a bus station in 1958, and that how I remember it, when I was a kid in the late-1950’s early-1960’s part of the lobby was being used as a cab stand - bus station. It’s where you got the 88 bus to Pittsburgh. The marquee was still there but the name was painted out.
The other part of the lobby was a driveway going into what used to be the auditorium. The proscenium was still there with some of the stage curtains still hanging, there were still some theatre seats attached to the floor. It’s main use at that time was storage of taxi cabs and school buses.
Contributed by
dave-bronx
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The princess was located at 424 McKean Ave and operated from 1935 to 1945
A local reminisces about the Princess:
http://tinyurl.com/2wua4n
Coll artical ken mc.
Bus Station To Be Closed In Donora
Donorans will be without a bus station for the first time in
years.
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Toraaseski of Donora, who have served as ticket agents in the community for over 20 years, announced today that they will no longer continue to do so and expect to close the bus station at 428 McKean Ave. by tomorrow night.
The Tomaseskis will continue to operate the taxi service from a new location at Tenth St. and McKean Ave. where they will also operate a service station.
The Tomaseskis sold tickets for 88 Transit Lines of Belle Vernon and Greyhound Lines as well as handling freight transported by bus.
Officials of 88 Transit were not available this morning to comment on whether another ticket agent would be obtained for Donora.
Passengers boarding the buses in Donora will pay their fare to the drivers.
Tomaseskis started as ticket agents in 1945 when the bus station was located in the train station on Eighth St. and Meldon Ave. When the train station was razed, they moved their ticket agency to Caprio’s Restaurant which was located across the street from the present location.
When Caprio’s when out of business, the agency was moved to the present location, the former Princess Theatre.
A car driven by David Maglet, 35, of 218 Allen Avenue, Donora, hurtled into the Samuel H. Gaskill residence on Fourth Street, North Charleroi, Sunday morning at 6:30 o'clock, wrecking the porch of the home and the car.
John Barna, 33, of 265 McKean Avenue, Donora, a passenger in the automobile, was seriously injured, receiving a possible fractured skull. His condition is critical.
Both the passenger and driver were removed to the Charleroi-Monesson hospital for treatment of their injuries. Maglet was found to have a bad cut on his forehead. Three stitches were taken to close it, after which he was removed to the Charleroi jail.
On his arrival at the jail it was found he had received a bad cut on his lower right leg. He did not know he had been cut in the leg until his arrival at the jail, he said.
The two men were returning to Donora from Charleroi. The car had started up the hill when in attempting to negotiate the first turn, the driver lost contiol. The car bounded over a high place in the curb and crashed into the porch of the Gaskill home. The steps were wrecked and several concrete blocks in front of the house were moved by the impact. One of the corner posts of the porch was also moved out of place. Damage to the house will approximate $150, while the car was damaged to the extent of $250.
Maglet was released from the local jail when bond of $500 was furnished after a hearing tonight at 7o'clock before Justice of the Peace Harry W. Scott, of North Charleroi, on a charge of driving while intoxicated.
Maglet, the driver, is an operator at the Princess theatre in Donora, and the car which he was driving is owned by Maurice Fruhlinger, of Windber, owner of the theatre. It is a 1937 model coach.
After the accident, Maglet was examined by a physician and an affidavit was furnished to the effect that “he was under the influence of liquor”, Officer George Dennis stated.
(April 24, 1937)
Interesting reading Louis.
Boxoffice, Sept. 1, 1958: “The Princess at Donora, closed for a number of years, has been dismantled and remodeled into a bus station”