GET READY TO TAKE YOUR SEAT!

No, the Princess isn't quite ready for you yet, but your seat is being stalled this week, and one will be reserved for you on opening night!  The new seats, which were donated by Regal Cinemas, are being assembled, piece-by-piece...literally (see photo), this week and are being install according to Frank Sparkman's engineering drawings.  It appears the seating will be five abreast on each side, with 10 in each of the middle rows.  This configuration promises the most seats for the floor space, but until they are all in, the exact count can't accurately be determined.

The six seats shown are in each of the back corners of the main floor auditorium and offer space for a wheel-chair bound patron and three companions at each of these four rows.

The comfy cushioned seats look brand new, and are burnt orange with black trim.  The burnt orange will probably match a pattern in the carpet yet to be installed.

I was also pleased to see that the cracks patched in the terrazzo had dried and been ground down, and it appears to be a perfect match!  Again, I can hardly wait to see it all polished and sealed, and looking like new again.

Out front, Tim Plemons and crew, have painted over the weather-proof paneling beneath the marquee, and gives us hope that soon the entire Princess will be "spic'n span" and inviting us in.

However, one of my greatest finds today was this scene in one of the upstairs rooms of the Tappan building.  The ceiling has been repaired, but the walls and everything else still awaits further work.  These upstairs rooms will not see full restoration until much later down the road, but will be important to the Princess Complex in the future.

But, I couldn't help but try and capture the lighting that streamed in from outside and played on the old wooden floor.  We should remember, that these old 1890's buildings are treasures in themselves, and we should be appreciative of the second chance we are getting to see and use them in our live time.  Roane Street is full of such treasures, and they all stand waiting for someone with vision to turn them into useful spaces for a new generation.