Sullivan Drive-In
Illinois 32 and W. Hagerman Street,
Sullivan,
IL
61951
Illinois 32 and W. Hagerman Street,
Sullivan,
IL
61951
1 person
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The Sullivan Drive-In was opened on June 5, 1952 and was operated by Lee Norton. North of this post intersection and the sheriff’s office. It was closed in the late-1980’s and demolished in the early-1990’s. Now a residence.
Contributed by
James Monroe
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
The Sullivan opened on Friday, June 5, 1952, based on a note that day in The Decatur (IL) Daily Review. “The theater is owned and operated by Lee Norton, who also owns the Grand theater in Sullivan.”
On May 1, 1975, the Daily Review reported that George Kerasotes had purchased the Sullivan from Lee and Virginia Norton. Kerasotes said he would keep the place running.
The Sullivan Drive-in closed in the latter half of the 1980s. It was demolished sometime in the earlier half of the 1990s. And as of 2022, traces were still seen clearly.
Vintage Aerial has a 1972 photo of the Sullivan here.
A closer address is 1421 IL-32, Sullivan, IL.
Google has updated their addresses and this one is right on the house in the middle of the property.
You can still clearly see the outline and ramps.
https://tinyurl.com/2arw4257
Is the house possibly the old snack bar/bio box converted into the house?
It is roughly the same size and shape from the overhead view. And it sits on the same foundation.
However, the Google Street view shows what appears to be a new construction. The building has a gable roof, not the flat roof of a snack bar/projection booth which is apparent in the old aerial photos.
Most likely, the old building was torn down and a new one built on the foundation.