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Community Corner

The Princess Theatre

A Main Street landmark since the 1920s, the Princess Theatre has been an enduring part of the Edmonds community for generations.

The Edmonds Theater, formerly the Princess Theatre, is among the best-known businesses lining Main Street.

In its present location since 1923, the theater began as a more modest movie house located just across the street. The first photo shows the Princess as it appeared in the early 1920s, located in what was then known as the Lemley Building. This was the former home of Edmonds’ first dedicated movie house, the Union Theater, which began showing films in 1916 (see Patch article “”).

Originally owned by Edmonds city father Fred A. Fourtner, the Union Theatre changed hands several times over the next few years. During this time it was known variously as the Union Theater, the Edmonds Theater, and the Acme Theater. In 1921 it was purchased by Mr. and Mrs. Thomas C. Berry and renamed The Princess Theatre.

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The Berrys had grand plans for a first-class movie house in Edmonds, and in early 1923 contracted with John McGinnis, local businessman and future Edmonds City Councilmember, to construct a new theater directly across the street. The result was the beautiful art deco building that persists to this day. In November 1923, the Berrys held a grand opening of the new Princess Theatre. Festivities included speeches by local dignitaries and musical performances by the Edmonds Band.

In continuous operation ever since, the theater quickly became an Edmonds landmark and helped position the community as a center for arts and culture. In 1929 the Princess treated Edmonds theater-goers to Broadway Melody, the first smash-hit “talkie” and the first sound motion picture to win the Academy Award for best picture.

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In response to the hard economic times of the Great Depression, the Princess lowered ticket prices in 1932 from $0.32 to $0.25. But business was still good, and in March 1938 the theater was updated with new seats, carpets, projection lamps and sound equipment.

Helen Berry, who had run the theater since 1923, passed away in 1941.

With the outbreak of World War II, the new owners supported efforts on the home front by running benefits for the Army Relief Fund. A benefit held in 1942 raised an impressive $14,075 in War Bonds. The owners also offered free tickets in support of local scrap drives to collect materials to support the war effort (see Patch article “.

After the war, the theater experienced several changes in ownership and a number of physical improvements and updates.

Known today as the Edmonds Theater, the historic 252-seat movie house shows first-run films, offers historic ambiance, and provides free popcorn to children, all at ticket prices that beat the multiplexes. Among the last remaining independent, single-screen movie houses, it is an enduring Edmonds institution and a link to a bygone era of cinematic grandeur.

For more on the Princess Theatre, go to the June 2009 Preservationist from the Edmonds Historic Preservation Commission.

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