Springfield Then & Now: Chakeres theaters

Credit: HANDOUT

Credit: HANDOUT

The three Chakeres brothers, Phillip, Louis, and Nicholas, came to Springfield in 1908 and opened a lunch room on N. Fountain and a restaurant at Main and Center before opening their first of multiple theaters, The Princess, in 1911.

Credit: HANDOUT

Credit: HANDOUT

Located at 17 W. Main, directly across from the Fairbanks Theater, The Princess, shown here in the 1920s, advertised circulating pure air, weekly fumigating, safety exit doors, fire-proof booths, and great music to set it apart from others.

The 150-seat theater operated through the early 1950s.

Today, the theater no longer exists and the spot is used as the Key Bank parking lot.

Credit: HANDOUT

Credit: HANDOUT

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