Depending upon the fate of a capital outlay request approved by the New Mexico State Legislature, a historic theater in eastern New Mexico may be in line for significant renovation funding.
As one of the proposals for capital outlay funding for all of Quay County, some $250,000 will be allotted for work at the long-standing Princess Theater. Located at 110 E. Main Street in Tucumcari, the theater was built in 1917 when vaudeville shows were what packed them in.
Just a few years later, the theater began to show motion pictures, undergoing a renovation in 1938 with distinct Streamline Moderne architectural design elements.
The theatre was closed, seemingly for good, in the fall of 1962 after a fire broke out on its roof. In the decades since, because the building is owned by the City of Tucumcari, city officials have been trying to find a new use for the structure.
Earlier reports have indicated that it could cost as much as $1.1 million to thoroughly renovate the Princess. Some of that funding might possibly be secured through the USDA Rural Development program, as well as a New Mexico MainStreet grant.
By Garry Boulard
