Shawnee Drive-In

12505 Shawnee Mission Parkway,
Shawnee, KS 66216

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Dickinson Theatres

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Shawnee Drive-In

The Shawnee Drive-In opened April 1, 1949. It was closed by a fire in the concession stand on September 5, 1978 and was demolished in the summer of 1980.

Contributed by kck

Recent comments (view all 7 comments)

claydoh77
claydoh77 on July 21, 2005 at 8:52 am

The Shawnee Drive-in Theatre was built by Dickinson Theatres in 1948, Dickinson’s 4th drive-in. The screen was of concrete construction. The lot held around 400 cars & had a playground below the screen. The marquee was turquoise. Played a lot of Disney & Westerns.

It was located on Shawnee Mission Parkway between Quivira & Pflumn (The Southwest Corner of Shawnee Mission Parkway and Long). The Shawnee was demolished in the 1970’s. This area is now a Bayer Drugs Facility. The zipcode above is incorrect, the correct address is: 12505 W. 63rd, Shawnee, KS 66216.

More pictures & info at:
http://www.drive-ins.com/theater/kstshaw
View link

claydoh77
claydoh77 on July 22, 2005 at 9:40 am

I’m confused? 1 Mile south of Shawnee, KS on Highway 10 is the old address but I believe the address of the current location is 12505 W. 63rd, Shawnee, KS 66216.

Texas2step
Texas2step on July 16, 2016 at 4:16 pm

This one opened on April 1st, 1949.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on January 4, 2020 at 8:59 pm

The Nov. 7, 1953 issue of Boxoffice ran a page and a half on the Shawnee, including photos of the three concessions buildings it used.

davidcoppock
davidcoppock on January 4, 2020 at 9:54 pm

Whats that white line down most of the middle of the ramps in the photo above? Why is there a side road off the entrance road in the photo above?

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on January 20, 2020 at 12:49 pm

The June 2, 1958 issue of Boxoffice ran a two-page spread, with photos, of the “just-completed enlargement and remodeling of the concessions” at the Shawnee. “According to Paul Kelly, secretary-treasurer of the Dickinson Operating Co., only half as many persons as before are needed to man the stand in rush periods.”

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on April 18, 2023 at 8:14 pm

The Shawnee advertised in the Kansas City Star as late as Aug. 25, 1978. (I’ll leave pinpointing the final ad to someone else.)

The end probably came on Sept. 5, 1978. The Star wrote, “Fire caused damage estimated at $65,000 today to the kitchen and storage area of the Shawnee Drive-in Theatre’s concessions stand … firemen were notified at 4:05 a.m. … reported by a man, believed to be a passer-by.”

But the screen was still standing on May 7, 1980, when the Star noted, “The Shawnee Drive-in Theater … will be torn down, and the city (Shawnee) is considering new zoning for the area.”

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