I do not know if “demolished” is the proper term since as of October 2021 the drive-in is mostly intact. While the screen tower still stands, most of the panels are gone.
However, the concession stand/projector booth, ticket booth, and ramps are all still present. I think “repurposed” is a better word than “demolished” since it could be re-opened with some renovation work on the screen.
Actually, the drive-in sat across the street from Industrial Contracting & Engineering. The front part of the drive-in is occupied by Moore Oxygen Supply and another business. But most of the drive-in is now occupied by a housing edition with Westside Drive running through the back part.
Today, there is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
That address puts it right where the screen was located. It is true that the entire area has changed considerably. The road that appears to have been the entrance in the 1955 aerial is long gone, but the one approaching the screen is still intact.
I’d say the drive-in was demolished. The screen, projection booth/concession stand, ticket booth, and even the house that sat on the property were torn down with the rubble removed. Only the foundations survive.
The screen is not present in a 1994 aerial, so the drive-in must’ve closed earlier.
The entrance is now so overgrown as to be impassible by vehicles. And making it tough for people as well.
The concession stand/projector booth was demolished some time before 2009. All that is left is part of the walls which hold a considerable amount of dirt.
A closer address is 5310 San Mateo Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM.
The Villas at La Privada currently occupy the site of the drive-in. The old entrance/exit road is now used as the entrance/exit for the Villas.
The marquee for the Villas is located in almost the exact same spot as the marquee for the old drive-in. But given how new the foundation appears, it is not the same.
All that is left are the ramps along with the foundation of the projector booth/concession stand and screen. It seems that they did not convert to widescreen before the drive-in closed.
A 1967 aerial photo shows the screen tower gone. And, it looks to have been gone for some time.
The 1957 aerial indicates that the projector booth/concession stand was originally close to the screen, then moved to the back. You can see what appears to be the foundation of the original structure in that aerial.
The ad listed above states “Turn North at 1100 W. Broadway” which is where N. Cecil Street meets West Broadway. It appears that the traffic was directed from West Broadway and not off North Grimes Street.
A better address is 1985 California Avenue SW, Camden, AR. That is the same location as the Razorback Drive-In which opened in 1969.
A 1956 aerial shows a drive-in at that location. And with no drive-in showing up along Magnolia Highway S, it seems pretty clear that the Camden Drive-In was along California Avenue SW.
A 1970 aerial shows the drive-in having changed considerably with a new screen, entrance, and ramps.
The entrance and exit roads are still present. Along with the brick-base of the marquee. But everything else that was part of the drive-in is long gone.
Comparing the 1956 aerial to the 1967 aerial shows that the screen was changed from the square to widescreen. That was commonly done in the late 1950s/early 1960s for many drive-ins.
The clues seem to be in the quote from the article you published. “their new Tarpon Drive-In” indicates a rebuild or renovation. Combine that with “The massive tilted screen” which indicates the widescreen and not the older, straight-up square screen and I believe that is what happened.
The rest of the description seems to be “flourishes” which is not uncommon when promoting the re-opening of any business, including drive-ins.
Given that the drive-in is just north of Corpus Christi, it was probably open most, if not the entire year. The rebuilding effort makes more sense in the spring/early summer since that avoids hurricane season which runs from late July to November.
Of course, I can’t say that’s exactly what happened, but I think it’s a pretty good guess.
A 1956 aerial shows the Tarpon Drive-in present at the location. Add to that a 1956 topo map that actually has the “Tarpon” name listed (quite rare, as most are simply listed as “drive-in”).
So, it’s fair to say that the Tarpon Drive-In was open by 1956, not 1962.
A closer address is 7320 N 2820 Rd, Duncan, Oklahoma.
That address puts it right at the entrance.
As of October 2021, the screen and concession stand/projector booth (minus the roof) are still standing. The marquee was torn down sometime after 2013.
There is some type of smaller structure south of the entrance that looks like a big dumpster. However, it appears in a 1960 aerial and continues to occupy that spot to the present day.
I’m not sure what the single wall foundation is that is located near where the projection booth/concession stand used to be, but it does not appear in any aerial photos until 1999. So, whatever it is, it has nothing to do with the drive-in.
Can’t say exactly when the drive-in closed, but the 1969 aerial indicates that it had been demolished for some time. Everything, including the entrance and exit roads are overgrown which generally takes a few years.
A 1957 aerial does show a speed track, possibly a go kart track just south of the drive in. By 1981, the track was long closed and overgrown. Today, that area is quite overgrown with trees. But you can see the outline of the track.
A 1994 aerial is not very clear, but it does appear that the screen is gone. If that is the case, then it would be hard to believe that they would set up the screen after the 1987 tornado only to tear it down again a few years later. Although that possibility cannot be discounted.
I’m not trying to change the address of the drive in.
I’m pointing out that the old entrance/exit roads connect the drive in to HWY 81, not Richland Ave.
A 1954 and 1981 aerials show that when the drive in was operational, it was not connected to Richland Ave. The access to Richland Ave didn’t show up until a 2008 aerial.
2602 S Van Buren St, Enid, OK puts the Google marker right on the entrance roads. But again, I’m not making the argument that the address should be changed given that the entrance roads have debris and appear not to be usable at this time.
As of August 2018 from Google Street View, the projection booth/concession stand still stands.
And, what may be part of the screen foundation is still present. It’s in the exact location, but only occupies part of what was the screen.
For a drive-in that was difficult to see from the air even when fully operational, there is quite a bit left even after becoming private property ;)
I do not know if “demolished” is the proper term since as of October 2021 the drive-in is mostly intact. While the screen tower still stands, most of the panels are gone.
However, the concession stand/projector booth, ticket booth, and ramps are all still present. I think “repurposed” is a better word than “demolished” since it could be re-opened with some renovation work on the screen.
Actually, the drive-in sat across the street from Industrial Contracting & Engineering. The front part of the drive-in is occupied by Moore Oxygen Supply and another business. But most of the drive-in is now occupied by a housing edition with Westside Drive running through the back part.
Today, there is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
A 1984 aerial shows the screen no longer present. A new entrance was put in at the currently listed address.
The old entrance to the drive-in when it was operational is approximately 2100 NM-478, Anthony, NM. The old entrance is no more.
The drive-in was demolished sometime between 1981 and 1995. Today, it is a big, empty, and overgrown field. You can still make out the ramps.
A closer address is 1 48th Street, Valley, AL.
That address puts it right where the screen was located. It is true that the entire area has changed considerably. The road that appears to have been the entrance in the 1955 aerial is long gone, but the one approaching the screen is still intact.
This drive-in did not last long.
I’d say the drive-in was demolished. The screen, projection booth/concession stand, ticket booth, and even the house that sat on the property were torn down with the rubble removed. Only the foundations survive.
The screen is not present in a 1994 aerial, so the drive-in must’ve closed earlier.
The entrance is now so overgrown as to be impassible by vehicles. And making it tough for people as well.
The concession stand/projector booth was demolished some time before 2009. All that is left is part of the walls which hold a considerable amount of dirt.
A closer address is 5310 San Mateo Blvd NE, Albuquerque, NM.
The Villas at La Privada currently occupy the site of the drive-in. The old entrance/exit road is now used as the entrance/exit for the Villas.
The marquee for the Villas is located in almost the exact same spot as the marquee for the old drive-in. But given how new the foundation appears, it is not the same.
All that is left are the ramps along with the foundation of the projector booth/concession stand and screen. It seems that they did not convert to widescreen before the drive-in closed.
Even the entrance/exit roads are long gone.
A 1967 aerial photo shows the screen tower gone. And, it looks to have been gone for some time.
The 1957 aerial indicates that the projector booth/concession stand was originally close to the screen, then moved to the back. You can see what appears to be the foundation of the original structure in that aerial.
The ad listed above states “Turn North at 1100 W. Broadway” which is where N. Cecil Street meets West Broadway. It appears that the traffic was directed from West Broadway and not off North Grimes Street.
A better address is 1985 California Avenue SW, Camden, AR. That is the same location as the Razorback Drive-In which opened in 1969.
A 1956 aerial shows a drive-in at that location. And with no drive-in showing up along Magnolia Highway S, it seems pretty clear that the Camden Drive-In was along California Avenue SW.
A 1970 aerial shows the drive-in having changed considerably with a new screen, entrance, and ramps.
A closer address is 15392 W Main Street, Cut Off, LA.
This not only puts it right on the entrance for Google Maps, it is also the address for the residence on the site.
You can still barely see the ramps, but rather amazingly much of the marquee is still present.
The entrance and exit roads are still present. Along with the brick-base of the marquee. But everything else that was part of the drive-in is long gone.
The 1968 aerial shows the screen is not present. It appears this drive-in was long closed by 1968.
Comparing the 1956 aerial to the 1967 aerial shows that the screen was changed from the square to widescreen. That was commonly done in the late 1950s/early 1960s for many drive-ins.
The clues seem to be in the quote from the article you published. “their new Tarpon Drive-In” indicates a rebuild or renovation. Combine that with “The massive tilted screen” which indicates the widescreen and not the older, straight-up square screen and I believe that is what happened.
The rest of the description seems to be “flourishes” which is not uncommon when promoting the re-opening of any business, including drive-ins.
Given that the drive-in is just north of Corpus Christi, it was probably open most, if not the entire year. The rebuilding effort makes more sense in the spring/early summer since that avoids hurricane season which runs from late July to November.
Of course, I can’t say that’s exactly what happened, but I think it’s a pretty good guess.
A 1956 aerial shows the Tarpon Drive-in present at the location. Add to that a 1956 topo map that actually has the “Tarpon” name listed (quite rare, as most are simply listed as “drive-in”).
So, it’s fair to say that the Tarpon Drive-In was open by 1956, not 1962.
A closer address is 7320 N 2820 Rd, Duncan, Oklahoma.
That address puts it right at the entrance.
As of October 2021, the screen and concession stand/projector booth (minus the roof) are still standing. The marquee was torn down sometime after 2013.
There is some type of smaller structure south of the entrance that looks like a big dumpster. However, it appears in a 1960 aerial and continues to occupy that spot to the present day.
https://tinyurl.com/2tcrp2a2
I’m not sure what the single wall foundation is that is located near where the projection booth/concession stand used to be, but it does not appear in any aerial photos until 1999. So, whatever it is, it has nothing to do with the drive-in.
Can’t say exactly when the drive-in closed, but the 1969 aerial indicates that it had been demolished for some time. Everything, including the entrance and exit roads are overgrown which generally takes a few years.
There is a large concrete block that sits on the old entrance road. At first, I thought it might be part of the old ticket booth.
But if that is true, someone would’ve had to move it up the road a distance before leaving it there.
Part of the entrance road is all that remains of the drive in.
A 1957 aerial does show a speed track, possibly a go kart track just south of the drive in. By 1981, the track was long closed and overgrown. Today, that area is quite overgrown with trees. But you can see the outline of the track.
A 1994 aerial is not very clear, but it does appear that the screen is gone. If that is the case, then it would be hard to believe that they would set up the screen after the 1987 tornado only to tear it down again a few years later. Although that possibility cannot be discounted.
I’m not trying to change the address of the drive in.
I’m pointing out that the old entrance/exit roads connect the drive in to HWY 81, not Richland Ave.
A 1954 and 1981 aerials show that when the drive in was operational, it was not connected to Richland Ave. The access to Richland Ave didn’t show up until a 2008 aerial.
2602 S Van Buren St, Enid, OK puts the Google marker right on the entrance roads. But again, I’m not making the argument that the address should be changed given that the entrance roads have debris and appear not to be usable at this time.
The photo is not the Skyway, this is the Lakeview Drive In.