Aurora Drive-In
13500 Aurora Avenue N.,
Seattle,
WA
98133
13500 Aurora Avenue N.,
Seattle,
WA
98133
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Additional Info
Previous Names: Aurora Motor-In
Nearby Theaters
The Aurora Motor-In was opened in 1946 with Bing Crosby in “Birth of the Blues”. It was operated by Johnson & Spracher. It was the second oldest drive-in in Washington state. By 1955 it was known as the Aurora Drive-In and was operated by Lou Pressler. It was later operated by Foreman - United.
The Aurora Drive-In was closed in late-1982. It has been demolished and a Sams Club now operates on the site.
Contributed by
Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
At the time of closure the Aurora DI was equipped with Brenkert BX-80 projectors, RCA 9030 soundheads, ORC 4,000 Watt Xenon lamps and it was a manually operated changeover booth. No automation ever installed. It still had in car speakers, radio sound was never installed. There had been homes built right up to the property line in the years since the Aurora opened, when the last show of the night started the field attendants had to run around the field turning down speakers where cars had left. The neighbors would be calling the police with noise complaints otherwise.
The Aurora was also the only drive in located within the actual Seattle City limits. The other nearby drive ins were all in the suburbs.
Added two 1959 pictures of water main installation at the theater. Shots of both the front and rear of the screen. Up until 1954, this theater was outside the City Limits. As of January 4th of that year, the City Limits moved North from N. 85th Street to N. 145th Street.
Did it convert to large reels? Or did they use 20 minute reels throughout it’s life?
We were using 6,000 foot reels at the time I worked there. Due to physical space limitations, the two of the three houses I presently work at can only use 2,000 foot reels. The Cinerama could handle 6,000’s but we don’t use them, it’s almost all 70mm there when film is run. We are having quite a lot of actual film presentations this Summer. More so than in past years, it seems that the moviegoing public will go out of their way and/or pay a higher price to see film rather than digital.
Opened with “Birth of the blues”.