Conservation Management Plan
8.4 The fact that the statuettes at parapet level appear to have never been completed is an interesting point to which we will return later. 8.5 The main elevation of the Citizens’ Theatre was demolished in 1977 along with the adjoining Palace Theatre.
Main Elevation by Campbell Douglas & Sellars 1878 [photo: John Crallan]
8.6 The juxtaposition of the two theatres, with entrances flanking both sides of the elevation provided a central focal point for theatre activity on Main Street. The two theatres were owned by Richard Waldon, who acquired the Royal Princess’s Theatre in 1888 and commissioned the construction of the Palace Theatre which was designed by Bertie Crewe, a specialist theatre architect based in London in 1904. In this respect Crewe simply took the opportunity to incorporate the entrances to the Palace Theatre within the existing tenements, effectively using the Royal Princess’s Theatre as the street presence for the Palace. In doing so Richard Waldon as able to concentrate his capital on the provision of an excellent auditorium built on relatively cheaper land behind the existing tenements. The acquisition of another portion of land fronting onto Main Street would have increased the costs of construction significantly.
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