If you took a peek inside Prince Theatre last year, you would have seen layers of thick dust that covered nearly everything. Piles of garbage were visible in the rundown space inside a small alley in Bang Rak, on Charoen Krung; the century-old building had been neglected for seven years, its walls peeling paint and its gloom palpable following its lowest point as a porn theatre in one of Bangkok's most iconic markets. The box office and torn posters were reminders of its former function.
But last month, after about a year of renovation, the building was reopened as Bangkok's only ex-theatre hotel, now called Prince Theatre Heritage Stay. The new property, besides its business, aims to promote public awareness of the history, importance and conservation of this bustling neighbourhood that has been under continual change, physically and psychologically.
Video by Jetjaras Na Ranong and Pichaya Svasti
"My family has a keen interest in conserving old buildings and done so in Lampang. From our experience, we want to find living heritage to benefit communities and help them to earn their own income. Otherwise, it would be charity," said Kittisak Pattamasaevi, chief commercial officer of Montara Management, which owns Prince Theatre Heritage Stay.
"So, we looked for places in Bangkok and negotiated with the Treasury Department, which owns numerous old buildings, including Prince Rama. I was very interested as a moviegoer and sought to make it a 'shared accommodation'."
To turn this historic cinema into a loft-style hotel under the shared accommodation concept, Kittisak sought advice from Chittipan Srikasikorn, co-founder of Lub D hostels who later became managing director of Heritage Stay. The company runs this hotel under a 10-year building leasing contract with the Treasury Department, which owns the land.
"When we saw this building for the first time in February last year, it was rundown with a broken roof and had piles of trash inside. It looked neglected. We felt it was a shame because there seemed to be positive momentum due to its location near the TCDC at the former Post Office in Bang Rak, a street food paradise, the Chao Phraya River and a BTS station. So, we wanted to change this deserted cinema to a hotel," he said.
The preservation project -- worth around 60 million baht -- was carried out under the "Heritage Stay" concept meaning preservation efforts are made to restore the structure's original identity as best as possible. For instance, the giant movie screen, which is in good working condition, is still in use and now has 3D mapping projection technology. The rare Art Deco coloured glass window remains where it always was. The height and width of the building remains the same. The preservation team also studied the theatre blueprints at the Public Works and Town and Country Planning Department.
Hidden in an alley off Charoen Krung (or New Road) and Si Wiang roads, Prince Theatre Heritage Stay is another renovated property that has been adapted to the modernising personality of the Bang Rak area, sometimes referred to as the Charoen Krung Creative District, following Warehouse 30 on Charoen Krung 30, the new TCDC at the Post Office, as well as art galleries and cafés in many small sois. The Bang Rak market now has several small guest houses, and the new Prince hotel is likely to add more appeal to travellers looking for a mix of new cool and traditional culture.
Stepping inside the hotel, the first thing you see is a check-in counter on the left, which maintains a cinema's box office style. On the right is the lobby with a book shelf featuring the original wooden name plate of the Prince Theatre. The lobby is the centre for sharing digital memories of movie collectibles. The next attraction to catch the eye is an old-style movie projector. The innermost corner of the hall is used to display old objects, photos, movie handbills and props, both found there and purchased later from elsewhere.
"Some of these objects were found here, such as the wooden sign, toilet signs, some film reels, movie posters and tickets. We used the theatre's wooden nameplate and coloured glass window as an inspiration for the design of the new logo in an X shape meaning staying extraordinary and being an ex-theatre, which screened X-rated films," Kittisak, the hotel owner, said.
Through old images and artefacts, visitors are led through the history of the property, divided into four periods, from its first era (between 1912-1917) right down to the fourth era (when it became a porn cinema).
The Prince opened in 1912 as one of the five high-rolling casinos in Bangkok. Many locals and foreigners came to carouse and make quick money. During their break times, tired gamblers were lured to stay on by watching performances by an all-male Chinese opera troupe. Around the casino, there was everything to serve the gamblers ranging from a variety of food to opium houses and brothels. However, puritan predilections prevailed and the casinos were banned in 1917 by royal command.
The second era of classic silent and slapstick reels lasted for decades. In 1917, the casino was turned into Prince Theatre, a movie house that screened silent and black and white films. The Treasury Department's title deed shows that the building was leased in May 1917 to Phayon Pattanakorn Co, a pioneer in the cinema business in Thailand. The theatre soon became the heart and soul of the neighbourhood since the audience often shopped in the area. In the early evenings, local shopkeepers and food hawkers enjoyed thriving businesses. Families, couples and friends flocked to the Prince and sat shoulder-to-shoulder on wooden benches and munched on noodles, other dishes and snacks while watching silent movies. Live dubbers got the crowds rolling with their raucous ad-libbing and slapstick dialogue.
The original Prince Theatre sign. Jetjaras Na Ranong
The third era, which was the theatre's most successful, began in 1975 when a triple projection Cinerama screen altered the moviegoing experience. People from all around Bangkok flocked to see the Prince Rama's line-up of Hollywood, Hong Kong and Thai movies. Business was good until shopping malls and multiplexes emerged and eventually put stand-alone theatres like the Prince Rama out of business.
However, the Prince held on; it struggled to survive as a cinema and switched to screening classic nude and pornographic films from 1985 to 2010, or its final era. Its location in an alley off the main road made it a perfect spot for men, boys and even women to sneak in to watch naughty films. It usually screened two movies per show like most adult movie theatres in Thailand. The cinema ended its operation in 2010.
While climbing the staircase of the hotel to the upper floor, you will see an old poster of the 1968 Roman Polanski film Rosemary's Baby, as well as a receipt and another document confirming the screening of this film at the Prince Rama. After reaching the first floor, you will see the hallway with the Art Deco glass window where the movie projector was once installed. On the walls are movie posters and the cartoon-style images of stars like Charlie Chaplin, Audrey Hepburn, Marilyn Monroe, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan, whose films were shown at the Prince Theatre or Prince Rama.
Four of the 26 guest rooms are decorated under themes to reflect the cinema's different eras in history, including themes of Chinese opera, classic Hollywood movies and nude films. The other rooms are shared accommodation.
The second era of the Prince Theatre, classic silent and slapstick reels.
Prince is the flagship property of Heritage Stay, which emphasises having social travellers connect authentically with local heritage. Hotel staff lead guests to various sightseeing neighbourhood stops, such as garland-making at a nearby shophouse and sipping herbal tea at the 88-year-old Yun Wo Yun sauce and grocery shop and savouring some of the area's well-known dishes, such as a local congee shop, Prachak roasted duck, pad Thai from Baan Padthai, Thewada, a Chinese-style pig leg stew stall, and Punli bread.
The hotel encourages those living in the community around Prince to join its various activities, such as storytelling during the hotel's free walking tours and selling food and merchandise to the hotel and guests. Guests also can make special orders for the hotel to buy famous local dishes.
"The community is very important because we are located deep in a community with over 50 families. We must be their friend. We hope to distribute benefits to them and promoting that this community is a must-see," Kittisak said.
Visit princeheritage.com for more information.