The Princess Theatre Turns 100 This Year, but the Building on Roane Street Doesn't

When the marquee at 421 North Roane Street says 100 years, which Princess is it talking about?

Two theaters have used that name. Crescent Amusement opened the first Princess in September 1926 as a 900-seat movie house, one of the larger theaters in a small town. In January 1939 a fire destroyed that building. The Princess Harriman walks into tonight is the replacement, which reopened on November 16, 1939, with Ginger Rogers in "Fifth Avenue Girl." The centennial counts the business. The walls are 87 years old this November, and the season now running inside them, from a free Halloween-week movie to a Saturday morning of tubas in December, shows how the place has run since its restoration.

Two Birthdays, One Marquee

The theater kicked off its centennial on September 6 with free cupcakes in the lobby, fan video stories, and a free movie. Two days later, WVLT reported on the milestone and noted that the theater was originally built in 1926. The full history is longer than one opening date.

1. September 1926. Crescent Amusement opens the original 900-seat Princess.
2. September 1932. A fire causes minor damage.
3. January 1939. A second fire destroys the building.
4. November 16, 1939. The rebuilt Princess opens under manager L.W. Bevel of Sudekum Theatres.
5. 1987. The owning company plans to close the theater, and manager Cecil Johnson starts leasing it to keep it open.
6. 1999. Johnson retires, and the doors close.
7. 2001 to 2009. The City of Harriman, Roane State Community College, the Tennessee Technology Center at Harriman, Roane County Schools, and local business leaders begin working on a renovation. The Princess Theatre Foundation forms in 2004, and Sparkman and Associates Architects is hired in 2009.
8. March 22, 2012. The restored theater holds its grand opening.

That puts the theater's centennial year in the middle of its second life, which is only about 14 years old.

Who Keeps the Lights On Now

For most of the 20th century, a theater company owned the Princess and ran it to make money from movies. Now the City of Harriman owns the building, and Roane State operates it with support from the Princess Theatre Foundation. The restoration was paid for with public money and a utility donation, a $317,000 Tennessee Department of Transportation grant to the city and $1.7 million from TVA to the foundation.

The building itself was rebuilt for different work. The stage is now more than twice its old size. Two neighboring buildings were connected to hold restrooms, dressing rooms, a green room, storage, and an elevator. The theater also houses the Channel 15 television station. The theater describes itself as a performing arts and education center that hosts concerts, movies, dance performances, and community events, and the interior was restored to its 1930s art deco look.

You can see that public, college-run model in the fall calendar. Touring tribute acts sell tickets on Saturday nights. A college arts series, a community band, and a free Sunday film series fill the other dates.

The Season, Date by Date

These are the confirmed shows at the Princess from publication day through early December.

Film titles for the November and December Silver Screen Sundays haven't been posted. Check the Princess event calendar before those weekends.

Halloween Week Opens It

The season starts on publication day. Roane State's Arts & Lectures committee is showing the 1979 Alien tonight with no tickets required. A costume parade starts at 6:45, fifteen minutes before the film. A January 2026 Roane State release describes the committee's free Princess movie nights as its own programming.

On Saturday, the house goes back to ticketed seating. The Fortunate Sons play Creedence Clearwater Revival at 7, and tickets run from $27.16 in the balcony to $37.51 in the front orchestra.

Halloween week continues on the same street. 3B Media News lists Harriman Trunk or Treat for Tuesday, October 27, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Harriman City Hall, 408 North Roane Street. The free event includes trick-or-treat booths, hay rides, a DJ, performances, food trucks, and movies.

November 16 Falls Between Two Shows

The rebuilt Princess turns 87 on Monday, November 16. That falls between Legends of Rock on November 7 and Roane State's film night on November 20. The 1939 reopening was a movie night, and so was the 2026 centennial party. Nov. 20 is a film night too.

On the first Sunday of every month, the theater shows a free public-domain movie for anyone who comes. The series launched at the September 6 anniversary party. October's pick was The Phantom of the Opera from 1925, the year before the first Princess opened. It started at 2 p.m., with doors at 1:30. If the November 1 and December 6 screenings keep that schedule, plan on an early afternoon.

Thanksgiving to Tuba Christmas

Levi Kreis brings his 12th Annual Home for the Holidays show to the Princess on the Friday after Thanksgiving, November 27, at 7:30 p.m. Seats run from $19.59 to $54.73. A meet and greet at 6:30 requires a separate $25.44 ticket. Some outside listing sites show a second date. Go by the theater's own event page, which lists only the Friday show.

The next weekend, the season belongs to local players. The Babahatchie Community Band plays its Christmas concert Friday, December 4, at 7 p.m. Tuba Christmas fills the stage Saturday, December 5, at 11 a.m. Both appear as RSCC-sponsored events at the Princess in the "Roane State Presents 26-27" arts schedule. Neither show has a posted price yet, so check the Roane State Presents schedule as the dates get closer.

Harriman hasn't announced a date for its 2026 Christmas parade yet. In 2025 the parade ran on December 4. Don't assume this year's parade falls on the same night until the city confirms it.

Dinner Within a Block

For dinner before a 7:30 curtain, Downtown Pizza Arcade & Events is at 518 North Roane Street, the same stretch of Roane as the theater. Its ordering page lists pickup hours of 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, with delivery ending at 9. The Sweet Spot candy shop at 427 North Roane, a few doors from the theater, is listed as open Saturdays until 7 p.m. That's fine before a show but too early for after.

The Princess opened in 1926 and reopened in 1939. Today the city owns it and Roane State runs it. If you're thinking about selling a home near downtown Harriman and want to talk through what's changing on Roane Street, Kathy May-Martin knows this block well. Schedule your consultation, and bring your questions about the downtown market.