Norwood Drive-In

41088 Grand Avenue,
Norwood, CO 81425

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Previous Names: T.A. Buss Drive-In

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Norwood Drive-In

The T.A. Buss Drive-In was opened around 1953 and by 1955 it was operated by F.H. Buss. In 1956 it was renamed Norwood Drive-In. It was tiny, most likely the smallest drive-in in the West. Parking just 64 cars. It was still open in 1966.

Contributed by MikeRogers

Recent comments (view all 5 comments)

jwmovies
jwmovies on October 31, 2012 at 2:22 am

Approx. address for this drive-in was 40908 Colorado 145.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on September 20, 2018 at 2:48 pm

I don’t know jwmovies' source, but Historic Aerials' 1963-65 photos show a drive-in immediately east of Norwood on 145. It was just northeast of (across the highway from) where the Hitchin Post Cowboy Bar is now. That bar’s address is 41087 Grand Avenue.

Kenmore
Kenmore on September 20, 2018 at 3:04 pm

In the 1963 & 1965 aerial, the drive-in does not appear to be as “tiny” as the description indicates, but I have no definitive proof that it held more than 64 cars.

Today, the property is an empty field with no trace of the drive-in remaining save for remnants of the south fence that had extended from the screen.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on June 10, 2019 at 9:07 am

The 1955-56 Theatre Catalog included the Norwood, owner F. H. Buss, capacity 62.

The drive-in debuted in the Motion Picture Almanac list as the T. A. Buss Drive-In in the 1953-54 edition, capacity 65. That changed to the Norwood in the 1956 edition, but the capacity and owner never changed until the drive-in dropped off the list in 1977. A 1983 topo map still included the Norwood.

In the 1952 aerial of the site, a smaller possible screen is pointing to a clamshell field in the same direction as the obvious screen in the 1963 & 1965 aerials. My guess would be that a Buss expanded the Norwood a little as early as the 1956 name change but the MPA didn’t notice.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on February 7, 2020 at 10:26 am

Minor data point: The Film Daily Year Book included the Norwood in its drive-in list through at least its 1966 edition, which would be expected considering the drive-in was still visible in a 1965 aerial photo.

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