The article cited by driveinfan lists the address as 7059 Ramona Blvd, Jacksonville, FL.
In the same article, the owners talked about how the drive-in had been moving over several places within the city until they settled on the Romana Flea Market.
Could the Willow Branch address be an old one? If they hadn’t updated their website, then it could be wrong.
Google has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the property.
The original entrance road is still present and being used as the entrance. Only a portion of the exit road still exists which is next to 32nd Street SE.
The projection booth/concession stand also seems to still exist, although it clearly has a new roof.
A February 2022 Google Street View shows the concession stand/projection booth along with the structure behind them as gone. You can see them in a 2021 street view, but it’s clear that they were removed between then and February 2022.
It also seems that the bottom part of the marquee is still standing. The sign on top as seen in photos is gone.
4229 Cusseta Rd, Columbus, GA is the address of the Columbus Complete Car Care Center.
A 1955 aerial shows the drive-in intact, but it is difficult to tell which road is the entrance and exit since no ticket booth can be seen. However, the marquee is next to where the center stands today.
A 1955 topo map designates the Cumberland River as “Lake Cumberland” near Burnside, which addresses one question I had as to why someone would name it “Lakeview” and not “Riverview”.
However, the 1956 aerial shows 15 rows with 18 to 20 speaker poles per row. That’s 300 vehicles maximum capacity, not 520 as claimed in the Commonwealth.
Of course, I’ve run across several capacity claims made by drive-in owners that in no way matched what the property actually held. So, this is not surprising.
I think a “fast construction” is possible if the Lakeview was originally what is now termed a “temporary” drive-in. It’s something that would not be normally be advertised or reported as such, so there may be no indication that it was of that nature in the records. Only a photo would reveal that information.
Given that the 1956 aerial shows evidence of work around the screen, along the fence that sat on either side of the screen, and the back of the drive-in, I’d say it’s possible that it originally was “temporary” or perhaps quite spartan which allowed for a relatively quick construction.
A closer address is 600 14th Ave SE, Devils Lake, ND.
This places it right on the property. The drive-in was still intact in a 1982 aerial, but the screen appears to be gone in a 1990 aerial.
The projector booth/concession stand was gone by 1997.
Today, the property is the site of Monster Lawn Hydroseeding & Landscaping with all traces of the drive-in now gone.
Wouldn’t it be more possible that the drive-in was quickly constructed and then improved over the next few years? The 1956 aerial certainly looks like some recent work had been made for expansion and perhaps a new screen. Perhaps its original incarnation was a temporary drive-in that was common at the time?
The screen in the 1956 aerial looks to be unchanged throughout the rest of the life of the drive-in. Since the widescreen seems to have been put in before the 1956 aerial, that would be a good excuse to “complete” or remodel the rest of the drive-in. Admittedly, it would greatly help to see the drive-in in its first year of operation.
I’m not saying it’s true, but given that aerials are normally stamped with the year they were taken, it makes it difficult to believe that it would be 1950. And with leaves on the trees, that seems to rule out January or February and even March depending on when spring arrived.
50sSNIPES - On what basis do you say that the aerial listed as 1951 was taken a year earlier? Aerial photos are stamped to the year they were taken.
I know what your other information states, but unless the aerial photo can be shown to be taken the year before, then it was taken in 1951.
That does not contradict this location being the drive-in. It simply means that the drive-in might’ve been a quick construction or perhaps completed enough to allow for a grand opening.
I’ve seen plenty of buildings in which the “grand opening” was weeks, if not months before they were fully operational. Especially since it looks in the 1956 aerial as practically brand new with scraped ground around the screen and on the east end as if it had just been built.
A 1951 aerial shows nothing at the location. Now, it’s impossible to tell exactly when the aerial was taken, but there are leaves on the trees so it had to be at least spring.
If this opened in June of 1951, it has to be one of the fastest constructions on record.
The drive-in is operational in a 1956 aerial. By 1972 it had been closed and demolished. Most of the property appears to be private with trailers that line the back of it.
The marquee appears in a 2007 Google Street View, albeit surrounded by trees with only the top of the sign sticking out. By 2012, it was gone along with some of the trees. That opened up the old entrance road of the drive-in. It’s quite probable that the few feet of concrete pavement which directly connects to the street dates back to the drive-in.
The old projection booth/concession stand is still present, but has been upgraded with new siding. If you never knew a drive-in stood there, you’d probably never guess what the building originally was looking at it from the street.
A 1985 aerial shows a distinctive fan-shaped drive-in outline that sits to the north of the Starlite Drive-In. It it impossible to tell where the entrance road was, but a reasonable guess is where the strip mall currently stands.
The area is now totally changed with new roads and several buildings that sit on the property. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
As I pointed out in the Minot Outdoor page, both drive-ins appear to be in the same location. It’s just that different streets are used in their addresses.
It does seem like they were two different theaters, but a better address will be needed to locate the Minot.
A slightly better address is 33 Crawley Falls Rd, Brentwood, New Hampshire.
This puts the marker right on the property. And the entrance road is connected to Crawley Falls Road.
In the 1962 aerial, the screen appears to be gone. The concession stand/projector booth appeared to have survived at least through 1975, but looks to be gone by 1984.
Today, the property is a big mess with cars, dilapidated small buildings, and various materials and items strewn about. Even traces of the ramps have long faded away.
Although the overhead Google view shows the drive-in still basically intact minus the screens, there has been some major construction done on the site.
A October 2019 Google Street view at the entrance shows a sign indicating that the flea market closed permanently.
A October 2022 Google Street view shows a large building being constructed next to the entrance roads which have been cut off from the rest of the property. It’s difficult to see if the new building is large enough to cover part of the drive-in itself, but access to that part of the property is currently unavailable.
So, just to be clear. The Starlite started off at 1300 Stanford Street where it existed as a single screen drive-in until at least the late 1960s.
The property was sold and the drive-in moved to roughly 4400 South Washington Street. It was twinned and remained open until 1985, save for one night in 1990.
The 4400 South Washington Street address became a driving range by 1991 and remained that way until the construction of the Aurora Clinic sometime in the late 1990s/early 2000s.
Today, the property is known as South Washington Medical Park with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
A November 2022 Google Street View shows little has changed. The property is still covered with junked vehicles and various items as if the place was hit by a tornado.
It’s a stunning setting with mountains visible in the background on all sides, albeit in the distance. There is even a full moon present in the November 2022 street view as well just to make it look even more lovely. Too bad the property will remain a salvage yard in great need of a big, hot fire to clear the land.
Today, the drive-in is an empty field with trailers parked on it. From the overhead view, it appears that the concession stand/projection booth is in ruins with no roof. The screen is also gone. But the general outline of the drive-in remains.
“South Clinton” may not have an official designation, but there is a South Clinton Elementary School, a South Clinton Community Center, and a South Clinton Park. So, it does seem that the part of the town that is south of the river is called South Clinton.
The article cited by driveinfan lists the address as 7059 Ramona Blvd, Jacksonville, FL.
In the same article, the owners talked about how the drive-in had been moving over several places within the city until they settled on the Romana Flea Market.
Could the Willow Branch address be an old one? If they hadn’t updated their website, then it could be wrong.
Also, is it “Sun Rays” or “Sun Ray”?
A closer address is 3183 ND-20, Jamestown, ND.
Google has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the property.
The original entrance road is still present and being used as the entrance. Only a portion of the exit road still exists which is next to 32nd Street SE.
The projection booth/concession stand also seems to still exist, although it clearly has a new roof.
A February 2022 Google Street View shows the concession stand/projection booth along with the structure behind them as gone. You can see them in a 2021 street view, but it’s clear that they were removed between then and February 2022.
It also seems that the bottom part of the marquee is still standing. The sign on top as seen in photos is gone.
Drive-in was still intact in a 1984 aerial, but gone by 1994.
4229 Cusseta Rd, Columbus, GA is the address of the Columbus Complete Car Care Center.
A 1955 aerial shows the drive-in intact, but it is difficult to tell which road is the entrance and exit since no ticket booth can be seen. However, the marquee is next to where the center stands today.
https://tinyurl.com/yckfzzys
Given the condition of the marquee from a 2019 Google Street View, taking it down would consist of a light push once the vegetation is cleared away.
A 1955 topo map designates the Cumberland River as “Lake Cumberland” near Burnside, which addresses one question I had as to why someone would name it “Lakeview” and not “Riverview”.
However, the 1956 aerial shows 15 rows with 18 to 20 speaker poles per row. That’s 300 vehicles maximum capacity, not 520 as claimed in the Commonwealth.
Of course, I’ve run across several capacity claims made by drive-in owners that in no way matched what the property actually held. So, this is not surprising.
I think a “fast construction” is possible if the Lakeview was originally what is now termed a “temporary” drive-in. It’s something that would not be normally be advertised or reported as such, so there may be no indication that it was of that nature in the records. Only a photo would reveal that information.
Given that the 1956 aerial shows evidence of work around the screen, along the fence that sat on either side of the screen, and the back of the drive-in, I’d say it’s possible that it originally was “temporary” or perhaps quite spartan which allowed for a relatively quick construction.
A closer address is 600 14th Ave SE, Devils Lake, ND.
This places it right on the property. The drive-in was still intact in a 1982 aerial, but the screen appears to be gone in a 1990 aerial. The projector booth/concession stand was gone by 1997.
Today, the property is the site of Monster Lawn Hydroseeding & Landscaping with all traces of the drive-in now gone.
https://tinyurl.com/4zeht8e5
Wouldn’t it be more possible that the drive-in was quickly constructed and then improved over the next few years? The 1956 aerial certainly looks like some recent work had been made for expansion and perhaps a new screen. Perhaps its original incarnation was a temporary drive-in that was common at the time?
The screen in the 1956 aerial looks to be unchanged throughout the rest of the life of the drive-in. Since the widescreen seems to have been put in before the 1956 aerial, that would be a good excuse to “complete” or remodel the rest of the drive-in. Admittedly, it would greatly help to see the drive-in in its first year of operation.
I’m not saying it’s true, but given that aerials are normally stamped with the year they were taken, it makes it difficult to believe that it would be 1950. And with leaves on the trees, that seems to rule out January or February and even March depending on when spring arrived.
50sSNIPES - On what basis do you say that the aerial listed as 1951 was taken a year earlier? Aerial photos are stamped to the year they were taken.
I know what your other information states, but unless the aerial photo can be shown to be taken the year before, then it was taken in 1951.
That does not contradict this location being the drive-in. It simply means that the drive-in might’ve been a quick construction or perhaps completed enough to allow for a grand opening.
I’ve seen plenty of buildings in which the “grand opening” was weeks, if not months before they were fully operational. Especially since it looks in the 1956 aerial as practically brand new with scraped ground around the screen and on the east end as if it had just been built.
A 1951 aerial shows nothing at the location. Now, it’s impossible to tell exactly when the aerial was taken, but there are leaves on the trees so it had to be at least spring.
If this opened in June of 1951, it has to be one of the fastest constructions on record.
Found It!
The address is 1753 GA-76, Nashville, GA.
The drive-in is operational in a 1956 aerial. By 1972 it had been closed and demolished. Most of the property appears to be private with trailers that line the back of it.
https://tinyurl.com/wkju48jv
The marquee appears in a 2007 Google Street View, albeit surrounded by trees with only the top of the sign sticking out. By 2012, it was gone along with some of the trees. That opened up the old entrance road of the drive-in. It’s quite probable that the few feet of concrete pavement which directly connects to the street dates back to the drive-in.
The old projection booth/concession stand is still present, but has been upgraded with new siding. If you never knew a drive-in stood there, you’d probably never guess what the building originally was looking at it from the street.
A closer address is 3108 S Broadway, Minot, ND.
A 1985 aerial shows a distinctive fan-shaped drive-in outline that sits to the north of the Starlite Drive-In. It it impossible to tell where the entrance road was, but a reasonable guess is where the strip mall currently stands.
The area is now totally changed with new roads and several buildings that sit on the property. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/yjf48byh
So, is there another address for the Minot? Because it is in the same location as the Starlite.
As I pointed out in the Minot Outdoor page, both drive-ins appear to be in the same location. It’s just that different streets are used in their addresses.
It does seem like they were two different theaters, but a better address will be needed to locate the Minot.
The address is the same location as the Starlite Drive-In.
Given that the opening and closing dates are just a few years off, is it possible the Minout and Starlite are the same drive-in?
A slightly better address is 33 Crawley Falls Rd, Brentwood, New Hampshire.
This puts the marker right on the property. And the entrance road is connected to Crawley Falls Road.
In the 1962 aerial, the screen appears to be gone. The concession stand/projector booth appeared to have survived at least through 1975, but looks to be gone by 1984.
Today, the property is a big mess with cars, dilapidated small buildings, and various materials and items strewn about. Even traces of the ramps have long faded away.
https://tinyurl.com/e334rh7z
A slightly closer address is 60770 Southgate Rd, Byesville, OH.
This is the address of the Guernsey County Board of Development Disabilities which is smack-dab on the property.
Despite the northern section of the property being undeveloped, there is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/2yevdett
Although the overhead Google view shows the drive-in still basically intact minus the screens, there has been some major construction done on the site.
A October 2019 Google Street view at the entrance shows a sign indicating that the flea market closed permanently.
A October 2022 Google Street view shows a large building being constructed next to the entrance roads which have been cut off from the rest of the property. It’s difficult to see if the new building is large enough to cover part of the drive-in itself, but access to that part of the property is currently unavailable.
So, just to be clear. The Starlite started off at 1300 Stanford Street where it existed as a single screen drive-in until at least the late 1960s.
The property was sold and the drive-in moved to roughly 4400 South Washington Street. It was twinned and remained open until 1985, save for one night in 1990.
The 4400 South Washington Street address became a driving range by 1991 and remained that way until the construction of the Aurora Clinic sometime in the late 1990s/early 2000s.
Today, the property is known as South Washington Medical Park with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/r87pye2r
A November 2022 Google Street View shows little has changed. The property is still covered with junked vehicles and various items as if the place was hit by a tornado.
It’s a stunning setting with mountains visible in the background on all sides, albeit in the distance. There is even a full moon present in the November 2022 street view as well just to make it look even more lovely. Too bad the property will remain a salvage yard in great need of a big, hot fire to clear the land.
The projection booth/concession stand existed until at least 1994, but by 2004 it had been removed.
Today, there is no trace of the drive-in.
https://tinyurl.com/ymxtsps9
Today, the drive-in is an empty field with trailers parked on it. From the overhead view, it appears that the concession stand/projection booth is in ruins with no roof. The screen is also gone. But the general outline of the drive-in remains.
“South Clinton” may not have an official designation, but there is a South Clinton Elementary School, a South Clinton Community Center, and a South Clinton Park. So, it does seem that the part of the town that is south of the river is called South Clinton.
https://tinyurl.com/3ts8bzdc