Royal

Great destinations for young people of Athens after they obtained a driver’s license and use of a car were movie theaters and drive-ins in Princeton and Bluefield. One such movie theater was the Royal located on Mercer Street in Princeton.

The first theater in Princeton was the Lyric, a small 250 seat theater located in the East End of Princeton. It opened about 1907.  Next came the Dixie Theater in about 1908, and the Royal about 1911. The Cahn Leighton 1911 - 1912  Official Theatrical Guide mentions the Royal Theatre with  F. A. Noble as manager. W. C. Pierce was the manager in 1917-18.

Lawrence Alfred Von Court (1878-1958) likely built the Von Court Apartments and the Royal theater.  He was an optometrist and a jeweler. His brother William Von Court was a watchmaker who worked with him in his jewelry store.

Fred F. Von Court (1880- ), managed the Dixie Theater. In 1931, F. F. Von Court took charge of the Royal Theater and doubled its capacity from 450 to 900 seats.  This according to an article published on August 5, 1937, in a local newspaper.

When Dr. Lawrence Leroy Von Court (1911-1980), son of William Von Court, took over the Royal in 1954 he changed the name to the Lavon, a tribute to his uncle, L. A. Von Court. Dr. Lawrence L. Von Court married Marjorie Edwards (1914-1973). Dr. Lawrence L. Von Court was an optometrist also and he also had a jewelry store in partnership with his brother-in-law Robert G. Edwards. The optometrist office and jewelry store were located in the 5 story Von Court Apartments Building next to the Royal. Many of the Von Courts in the area resided in the Von Court Apartments.

During the late 1940s and early 1950s the Polk Directory for Bluefield and Princeton listed the Royal under the ownership of Princeton Theatres, Inc. with Hallie Joseph Gilbert, president and manager, Earl R. Price, assistant manager and Raymond Leroy Watters, secretary-treasurer. Raymond Watters was the son of Teresa Von Court Watters.

The obituary for Earl Price (1926-2014) listed him as owner and operator of the Royal theater for 33 years. It said he worked for the Royal for several years prior to owning it. Earl’s 1945 World War II registration listed him at age 18, employed by the Royal theater.

The old Royal theater under the Lavon name closed in 1983 and the building was then used as a church. In 2013 the building was purchased by Community Connections, a non-profit group in Princeton. The Princeton Renaissance Project obtained a grant to renovate the theater and in 2022 it was being renovated as the Princeton Renaissance Theatre. The plan was to show movies and present live shows. Solving structural problems led to finding passageways under the theater. There was much speculation about the purpose of the passageways.

In 2023 renovations were still underway.