Lee Highway Drive-In

8223 Lee Highway,
Fairfax, VA 22031

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Redstone Drive-In Theaters

Firms: William Riseman Associates

Previous Names: Arlington Boulevard Drive-In

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News About This Theater

Lee Highway Drive In in Merrifield VA

The Lee Highway Drive-In opened August 26, 1954 with a capacity for 1,000 cars, it was operated by M. Redstone. One entrance was on Lee Highway and the other on Gallows Road. This drive-in later had a capacity for 1,350 cars. The Lee Highway Drive-In closed in 1984 and was replaced by a multiplex theater.

Contributed by Lost Memory

Recent comments (view all 10 comments)

Local619
Local619 on June 14, 2007 at 6:20 pm

Chain was Redstone..

Booth ran Simplex XLs and Ashcraft lamps.. water cooled gates but still ran very hot.

kencmcintyre
kencmcintyre on November 11, 2008 at 9:00 pm

From the Washington Post and Times Herald, 10/10/55:

A gunman wearing a paper sack over his head with holes cut in it for his eyes took $1100 in cash from the woman cashier of the Lee Highway Drive-In Theater last night while a theater audience sat unknowingly in about 500 darkened automobiles nearby.

ElCartero
ElCartero on June 17, 2009 at 2:46 pm

This page has some cool Lee Highway stuff, including a great ‘50s-vintage photo of the marquee:
View link

Mike Rogers
Mike Rogers on May 31, 2010 at 2:00 pm

It is listed in the 1956 Motion picture almanac,but tells nothing on how many cars could park or who owned it back in the 50’s.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CLINT EASTWOOD,I know you filled that lot quite a bit.

TLSLOEWS
TLSLOEWS on May 31, 2010 at 2:28 pm

Cool a drive-in with real cineamscope.

rivest266
rivest266 on June 23, 2015 at 2:36 pm

Grand opening ad in photo section.

Local619
Local619 on August 17, 2017 at 5:55 pm

My bad.. the Lee Highway Drive In ran Brenkert (RCA) Projectors.. The Mount Vernon Drive In (the other Redstone Drive In) ran Simplex XLs..

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on January 18, 2019 at 8:30 am

The Tysons Reporter recently ran a brief story about the site, drawing on Fairfax County’s aerial photography. The Reporter said that it was “the Washington area’s largest drive-in theater”.

“The theater featured a 50×120′ CinemaScope screen and a rotunda-style dining area. At its capacity [sic] in 1983, the drive-in could fit 1,353 cars.”

The story continues that it was closed in 1984, replaced by a nearby indoor multiplex. That site was redeveloped into the Mosaic District, which includes the 8-screen Angelika Film Center.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on January 18, 2019 at 8:35 am

Yet another indication of how slow the International Motion Picture Almanacs were at removing listings: We know exactly when it closed (in 1984), but the Lee Highway stayed on the IMPA drive-in list through the list’s final edition in 1988.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on February 12, 2022 at 10:28 am

Boxoffice, Oct. 27, 1958: “Herv Keator, Lee Hiway Drive-In manager, reports Bernz-O-Matic in-car heaters have been installed.”

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