BERLIN â The city of Berlin lost another piece of its historic downtown with the demolition of the Princess Theater building Monday.
When it was built 106 years ago, an article in the local paper said management âhad spared no expense to make the most up-to-date house of entertainment in the state of New Hampshire.â
But a movie hasn t been shown there in over a decade, and the property fell on tough times. A 2013 fire heavily damaged the building, and last year, the city took it for non-payment of taxes.
When the Princess Theater opened on Oct. 29, 1914, a newspaper article said it was âtaxed to capacityâ with the public anxious to get a glimpse of the interior of the new building. Special consideration had been given to the ventilation system to keep the âair pure at all times.â The seating was arranged to allow for a âperfect view of the stageâ from any seat in the house.