This was a relatively small drive-in, perhaps 100 car capacity.
It does appear intact in a 1965 aerial, but by 1968 it had been demolished. The lot was still empty a year later, but by 1973 the church had been built.
Today, there is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
The 1965 aerial does show the drive-in intact. However, there are a couple of things that make me believe it was not operational.
First, the screen is still square as common in the pre-widescreen era. Many drive-ins had converted to widescreen by the late 1950s. However, not all of them had as a few kept their old square screens.
Second, there are a couple of thin ditches on the east side of the property. The lines are not shadows and I’m not sure what they are for. But an operational drive-in would not have such ditches on the entrance side.
A 1985 aerial shows the screen and concession stand/projector booth intact, so perhaps both structures were rebuilt after the fire? It was still intact by 1991, but by 2004 the land was cleared and the driving range put in.
Today, a Planet Fitness sits on the property. What may have been the marquee has been fitted with the Planet Fitness sign. You can still see the general outline, but pretty much all traces of the drive-in are gone.
A closer address is 1920 W Dickinson Blvd, Fort Stockton, TX.
This puts it right at the entrance to the drive-in where an O'Reilly’s Auto Parts store currently sits.
A 1957 aerial shows the drive-in operational, but by 1984 it had been long demolished.
It’s pretty difficult to see any remnant of the drive-in. Particularly as its shape was defined by two major roads. But if you squint you can see a few parch marks of where some of the ramps used to be.
A 1981 aerial shows the drive-in long demolished with what is now B&D Threefold Collision Center on the property. The drive-in probably closed in the early-mid 1970s, perhaps earlier.
Today, most of the property is an empty field and you have to squint to see any vestiges of the ramps.
This places it right on the East Tawas Shot N Go which is now the entrance to the property. Today, most of the field is still empty and you can still see most of the outline, a faint hint of ramps, and the foundation of the projection booth/snack bar.
A 1957 aerial shows what’s left of the drive-in. The north side ran along 10th Avenue with the west side lining up with North Buchanan Street. The screen was on the east side, but it was gone by 1957.
You can see the ramps, but it has clearly been demolished. In fact, it’s difficult to tell where the main entrance might have been.
Today, the property has been taken over by housing. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
A 1955 aerial of the drive-in shows it to be twinned. So it may have started off as a twin which was rather unusual in 1955. However, what is odd about the 1955 and 1960 aerial is that the drive-in does not appear to have a projection booth/concession stand.
There is a large patch of white that sits where a projection booth/concession stand should be, but there is nothing on it. And there does not appear to be a fence, ticket booth, or marquee in either the 1955 or 1960 aerial.
The 1960 aerial shows that the south screen is now a widescreen as opposed to the square screen present in 1955.
Perhaps, and this is strictly a guess, the drive-in had yet to be completed by the 1955 aerial. But was completed and opened at some point later. Only to be shut down in 1960 for the screens to be replaced.
But that doesn’t explain the lack of a projection booth/concession stand. And since the ground around the center of the property looks unchanged, it appears that even by 1960 it had yet to be built.
So, was this drive-in ever opened? And if so, what years can be confirmed that it was opened?
Today, the outline, ramps, and part of the entrance ramp are the only remains of the drive-in.
And, although it is difficult to confirm with the Google Street photos, a light pole that sits just to the west of the power lines may also have been a part of the drive-in.
Google Maps has updated the addresses and this puts it right on the property.
The drive-in appears intact and perhaps operational in 1981, but had been demolished by 1992. Today, the property is occupied by two private residences with little, if any evidence that a drive-in once existed.
The projector booth/concession stand was in the front row. It may (operative word: may) still be standing or its foundation was used to support another building of the same size as that is present.
MichaelKilgore I’m not seeing another drive-in close to the town so far. But, I’m suspecting that the Star-Lite and Sierra Vista were the same.
You mentioned in your June 9, 2019 post on the Sierra Vista page in the first sentence, “I wonder whether this drive-in opened as the Sunset, which is listed in the 1950 & 1951 Film Daily Year Books as the only one in Socorro.
In addition, you mentioned in the description of this page, “100-car drive-in with in-car speakers. Up and coming town of 6,000. Only one small theatre in town. New Mexico School of Mines located in town; 600x600 ft. plot on which theatre is built is leased with good, long lease.”
That “one small theater” would most likely be the Loma Theater. And yet the Sierra Vista (under another name) was operating in 1949. Why wasn’t it mentioned? Unless perhaps it is the same theater.
If the Star-Lite was sold and closed for even a short time, it would make sense that under new ownership it would be re-opened as a “new” theater, especially if it had been expanded.
I’ve seen on more than one occasion theater advertisements that do not mentioned any previous ownership.
There’s clearly no projection booth on this site nor is there a screen.
If he had rebuilt the projection booth in August 1950, you think he wouldn’t have torn it down by October and totally cleared the property, especially if he hadn’t sold the land by that time.
And perhaps even more telling, no evidence of tire marks, tracks, or other indications that cars had ever been on the property. So, I don’t think this is it.
I will try to search Earth Explorer for any evidence of a drive-in.
The October 1950 aerial shows no screen or projection booth/concession stand at that site. And yet the article you cite states that the projection booth had been rebuilt reportedly by August of that year, so both should be there, right?
The circle driveway seems to have more to do with connecting the house seen on the north side to the stable/shed just to the south. With the connecting road leading to what looks like a barn on the NE corner of the property.
Is there any other evidence to suggest this is the site? Otherwise, this looks like private property to me.
The walking track is way too small to have encircled the drive-in. Plus, the track does not appear in any of the aerial photos until 2004, decades after the drive-in was demolished.
“Intact” is a pretty strong word to use for this site. The ramps remain and perhaps the concession stand/projector booth. Although a 2015 Google Street View makes it difficult to tell.
Most of the property is now a flea market with buildings dotting the site. The area where the screen once stood is now a private residence.
Can’t say exactly when the drive-in closed. But the 1973 aerial does show it intact, yet starting to become overgrown with vegetation. Just three years later it is in really bad shape with the screen appearing to be down. By 1985, it had bee fully demolished.
My guess is that the drive-in closed sometime in the mid to late 1960s. Long before the overpass was built.
This was a relatively small drive-in, perhaps 100 car capacity.
It does appear intact in a 1965 aerial, but by 1968 it had been demolished. The lot was still empty a year later, but by 1973 the church had been built.
Today, there is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
The 1965 aerial does show the drive-in intact. However, there are a couple of things that make me believe it was not operational.
First, the screen is still square as common in the pre-widescreen era. Many drive-ins had converted to widescreen by the late 1950s. However, not all of them had as a few kept their old square screens.
Second, there are a couple of thin ditches on the east side of the property. The lines are not shadows and I’m not sure what they are for. But an operational drive-in would not have such ditches on the entrance side.
The drive-in had been totally demolished by 1998.
Looking at the 2012 Google Street View, a for sale sign is on the lot. But that had disappeared by 2016.
Today, only the outline, ramps, entrance/exit road, and the foundations of the screen and projector booth/concession stand remain.
A Home & Garden Stone & Accents store has been built over the ramps, wiping out all remaining traces of the drive-in.
A 1985 aerial shows the screen and concession stand/projector booth intact, so perhaps both structures were rebuilt after the fire? It was still intact by 1991, but by 2004 the land was cleared and the driving range put in.
Today, a Planet Fitness sits on the property. What may have been the marquee has been fitted with the Planet Fitness sign. You can still see the general outline, but pretty much all traces of the drive-in are gone.
A closer address is 1920 W Dickinson Blvd, Fort Stockton, TX.
This puts it right at the entrance to the drive-in where an O'Reilly’s Auto Parts store currently sits.
A 1957 aerial shows the drive-in operational, but by 1984 it had been long demolished.
It’s pretty difficult to see any remnant of the drive-in. Particularly as its shape was defined by two major roads. But if you squint you can see a few parch marks of where some of the ramps used to be.
https://tinyurl.com/t4d3w2j2
A 1981 aerial shows the drive-in long demolished with what is now B&D Threefold Collision Center on the property. The drive-in probably closed in the early-mid 1970s, perhaps earlier.
Today, most of the property is an empty field and you have to squint to see any vestiges of the ramps.
An October 2019 Google Street View shows the screen still intact. The marquee is in pretty bad shape.
A closer address is 2099 US-23, East Tawas, MI.
This places it right on the East Tawas Shot N Go which is now the entrance to the property. Today, most of the field is still empty and you can still see most of the outline, a faint hint of ramps, and the foundation of the projection booth/snack bar.
https://tinyurl.com/3pvmxtna
A closer address is 321 10th Ave E, Jerome, ID.
A 1957 aerial shows what’s left of the drive-in. The north side ran along 10th Avenue with the west side lining up with North Buchanan Street. The screen was on the east side, but it was gone by 1957.
You can see the ramps, but it has clearly been demolished. In fact, it’s difficult to tell where the main entrance might have been.
Today, the property has been taken over by housing. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/yck6jr5k
A 1955 aerial of the drive-in shows it to be twinned. So it may have started off as a twin which was rather unusual in 1955. However, what is odd about the 1955 and 1960 aerial is that the drive-in does not appear to have a projection booth/concession stand.
There is a large patch of white that sits where a projection booth/concession stand should be, but there is nothing on it. And there does not appear to be a fence, ticket booth, or marquee in either the 1955 or 1960 aerial.
The 1960 aerial shows that the south screen is now a widescreen as opposed to the square screen present in 1955.
Perhaps, and this is strictly a guess, the drive-in had yet to be completed by the 1955 aerial. But was completed and opened at some point later. Only to be shut down in 1960 for the screens to be replaced.
But that doesn’t explain the lack of a projection booth/concession stand. And since the ground around the center of the property looks unchanged, it appears that even by 1960 it had yet to be built.
So, was this drive-in ever opened? And if so, what years can be confirmed that it was opened?
Today, the outline, ramps, and part of the entrance ramp are the only remains of the drive-in.
And, although it is difficult to confirm with the Google Street photos, a light pole that sits just to the west of the power lines may also have been a part of the drive-in.
A closer address is 3395 S Johns Ave, Emmett, ID.
Google Maps has updated the addresses and this puts it right on the property.
The drive-in appears intact and perhaps operational in 1981, but had been demolished by 1992. Today, the property is occupied by two private residences with little, if any evidence that a drive-in once existed.
The projector booth/concession stand was in the front row. It may (operative word: may) still be standing or its foundation was used to support another building of the same size as that is present.
https://tinyurl.com/yu6cjxph
MichaelKilgore I’m not seeing another drive-in close to the town so far. But, I’m suspecting that the Star-Lite and Sierra Vista were the same.
You mentioned in your June 9, 2019 post on the Sierra Vista page in the first sentence, “I wonder whether this drive-in opened as the Sunset, which is listed in the 1950 & 1951 Film Daily Year Books as the only one in Socorro.
In addition, you mentioned in the description of this page, “100-car drive-in with in-car speakers. Up and coming town of 6,000. Only one small theatre in town. New Mexico School of Mines located in town; 600x600 ft. plot on which theatre is built is leased with good, long lease.”
That “one small theater” would most likely be the Loma Theater. And yet the Sierra Vista (under another name) was operating in 1949. Why wasn’t it mentioned? Unless perhaps it is the same theater.
If the Star-Lite was sold and closed for even a short time, it would make sense that under new ownership it would be re-opened as a “new” theater, especially if it had been expanded.
I’ve seen on more than one occasion theater advertisements that do not mentioned any previous ownership.
There’s clearly no projection booth on this site nor is there a screen. If he had rebuilt the projection booth in August 1950, you think he wouldn’t have torn it down by October and totally cleared the property, especially if he hadn’t sold the land by that time.
And perhaps even more telling, no evidence of tire marks, tracks, or other indications that cars had ever been on the property. So, I don’t think this is it.
I will try to search Earth Explorer for any evidence of a drive-in.
The October 1950 aerial shows no screen or projection booth/concession stand at that site. And yet the article you cite states that the projection booth had been rebuilt reportedly by August of that year, so both should be there, right?
The circle driveway seems to have more to do with connecting the house seen on the north side to the stable/shed just to the south. With the connecting road leading to what looks like a barn on the NE corner of the property.
Is there any other evidence to suggest this is the site? Otherwise, this looks like private property to me.
The walking track is way too small to have encircled the drive-in. Plus, the track does not appear in any of the aerial photos until 2004, decades after the drive-in was demolished.
A closer address is 12392 6th Ave E, Visalia, CA.
Google Maps has updated the address and this places it between the entrance and exit roads.
https://tinyurl.com/mvehbpzb
“Intact” is a pretty strong word to use for this site. The ramps remain and perhaps the concession stand/projector booth. Although a 2015 Google Street View makes it difficult to tell.
Most of the property is now a flea market with buildings dotting the site. The area where the screen once stood is now a private residence.
A closer address is MS-37 & S C Rd 37-I, Taylorsville, Mississippi.
This intersection is about 500 feet northeast of the drive-in location. Which sat on the west side of MS-37.
https://tinyurl.com/ycyk69ef
Today, an Auto Parts store sits where the screen was located. And on the back of the property is a home.
In-between you can still see faint indications of the ramps.
The drive-in was still intact and appeared open in 1968. But but 1981 the screen was gone and buildings were present on the back of the lot.
By 1991, the projection booth/concession stand was gone and replaced by the Four Seasons Village Apartments.
The projection booth/concession stand is still present in a June 2022 Google Street View. It was built to last, that’s for sure.
Can’t say exactly when the drive-in closed. But the 1973 aerial does show it intact, yet starting to become overgrown with vegetation. Just three years later it is in really bad shape with the screen appearing to be down. By 1985, it had bee fully demolished.
My guess is that the drive-in closed sometime in the mid to late 1960s. Long before the overpass was built.
A November 2021 Google Street View shows no change as the screen still stands with some damage to the center section.