Slight correction to the address. The drive-in was located near TX-339 and Pintas Street, Benavides, TX.
The drive-in itself was on Pintas Street less than a quarter-mile east of the intersection on the north side of the road. It appears intact in a 1967 aerial photo.
Today, it is private property where a house once sat, but is no longer there. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
After looking at the Google Map, there is no sign of the concession stand. It appears to have been torn down and another, larger building stands in its place.
There is no trace of the drive-in remaining, save perhaps for the marquee, which is now being used as a sign for the salvage company on the site.
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.
A closer address is 30166 Olive Dr, Lebanon, MO. This puts you right at the entrance to the drive-in itself. The drive-in was not present in a 1959 aerial photo, so it was constructed some time after that.
Today, there is little left of the drive-in. You can barely make out the ramps. However, the concession stand/projector booth may still be standing.
Google Street View from June, 2016 still shows the screen, ticket booth, and marquee up. A small house sits where the concession stand/projector booth was located.
I understand the desire to make the address an intersection, but the one currently listed is too far west.
In the photo, you can see the treeline running on the south side of the drive-in. A 1952 aerial photo shows that same treeline starting at the 3871 West, La Center, KY address and running south/southeast.
If an intersection is desired, then Paducah Road and Aspen Drive, La Center, KY is better because Aspen Drive is right across the street.
If the photograph is accurate, then the address was
3871 West, La Center, KY. It was located east of the Ballard Memorial School, which you can see in the foreground of the photo.
Today, the property holds a few businesses with the address being where the screen was located. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
You can still make out the ramps and foundation for the concession stand/projector booth. From the aerial photos, the property was mostly abandoned by the 1990s until 2008 when a residential or commercial structure was built.
Burwell Rd & Cortez Blvd is the closest intersection, so it makes for a good address.
To be more accurate, the drive-in itself is located about ¼ mile south of the intersection on the west side of the road. It was just on the south side of a large pond.
Today, the property is used for a pasture as cows are present in the street-level map. The ramps are still visible, but nothing else remains of the drive-in.
The name makes sense if it started out as an autoscope drive-in, then converted to a single, large screen as many of them did. But for whatever reason, they decided not to change the name.
Even with Cairo nearby, a 600-car drive-in seems awfully ambitious. My guess would be that they had plenty of cheap land to use, so there was no downside into making it that large.
While it is not unheard of to so totally demolish a drive-in that no trace exists, it does seem like overkill to do so thorough a job that they even took out the screen foundation and entrance just to make it farmland.
If it wasn’t for the advertising, I’d never believe that a 600-car drive-in theater would be built between two towns with a combined population in 1960 at about 1,700 people. Plus, about 15-20 miles from Paducah to boot.
Drive-In 54 has sharper eyes that me since I’m not seeing any place between the two towns that indicates anything approaching the size of the drive-in. So, it was totally demolished for farmland it appears.
A closer address is 3321 Fairway Dr, Highland, IL. A 1991 aerial photo shows part of the ramps remaining at that location with most of the property covered by a pond.
Today, there is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
From the Fort Smith Historical Society, the address of the 71 Drive-In was 1919 South Zero, Fort Smith, AR.
The address puts it just on the east side of Mill Creek, but according to the information I received, the drive-in was located where the Southerlands now stands, which is on the west side of the creek.
@Kris4011 If you look at the Google street view from Rogers Drive, it does not appear to be plowed nor are they terraces. They have the distinctive “bumps” of car ramps.
However, it is true that the ramps seem slightly closer together compared to the other drive-ins. So, while I’m not discounting anything, this has all the signs of a drive-in (either independent or an expansion) that was abandoned before completion.
A 1954 topo map shows that there was a road that ran along the east side of the property which was removed when the neighborhood was put in. Perhaps that has something to do with it or not.
Just to the north of the Boulevard Drive-In is the remnants of what appears to be yet another drive-in which is located at 3310 Rogers Dr. You can clearly see the ramps and the setting is perfect for a drive-in (downward slope to the screen).
A 1971 aerial either shows that drive-in was closed and demolished or perhaps it was never completed. This is because the ramps are intact, but no indication of a projection booth/concession stand foundation.
It also never appears on any topo maps dating back to the mid-1950s despite the Boulevard Drive-In being present.
Does anyone know if this drive-in was ever completed and opened?
The drive-in was located about a ½ mile south of
Milford Street & Locust Heights Drive, Clarksburg, WV.
The drive-in itself appears to be fully intact, including the screen. Although the projection booth/concession stand look a little worse for wear. The marquee is still standing as well.
Slight correction to the address. The drive-in was located near
TX-339 and Pintas Street, Benavides, TX.
The drive-in itself was on Pintas Street less than a quarter-mile east of the intersection on the north side of the road. It appears intact in a 1967 aerial photo.
Today, it is private property where a house once sat, but is no longer there. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/y8quxv2q
Current home of the New Life Church.
You can clearly see some of the ramps and screen foundation of the drive-in.
A closer address is 402 FM 1658, Bridgeport, TX. The drive-in was located just to the west of this location on the north side of the road.
Today, the property is home to Bridgeport Manufacturing with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/y9knnl5m
A closer address is 9590 US-283, Albany, TX.
The drive-in sat on the west side of the road. A 1964 aerial photos shows the drive-in being torn down with the screen gone.
Today, the property is split in half by an entrance road along with several businesses on either side. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/yb9aelxq
If so, it’s one big, commercial building of a house.
Why not look at the Google map and street view and make your own determination?
After looking at the Google Map, there is no sign of the concession stand. It appears to have been torn down and another, larger building stands in its place.
There is no trace of the drive-in remaining, save perhaps for the marquee, which is now being used as a sign for the salvage company on the site.
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.
I believe I found it.
A 1959 aerial reveals a drive-in located on the northeast corner of Texas Avenue & Crisp Road. The drive-in sat on the southwest side of the town.
Today, the Truck Parts & Supplies Company sits on the property with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
Note: I found no evidence of any drive-in located along Millcreek Road in the 1959 aerial.
https://tinyurl.com/y9cn2r9p
A closer address is 30166 Olive Dr, Lebanon, MO. This puts you right at the entrance to the drive-in itself. The drive-in was not present in a 1959 aerial photo, so it was constructed some time after that.
Today, there is little left of the drive-in. You can barely make out the ramps. However, the concession stand/projector booth may still be standing.
https://tinyurl.com/y832mpon
Google Street View from June, 2016 still shows the screen, ticket booth, and marquee up. A small house sits where the concession stand/projector booth was located.
I understand the desire to make the address an intersection, but the one currently listed is too far west.
In the photo, you can see the treeline running on the south side of the drive-in. A 1952 aerial photo shows that same treeline starting at the 3871 West, La Center, KY address and running south/southeast.
If an intersection is desired, then Paducah Road and Aspen Drive, La Center, KY is better because Aspen Drive is right across the street.
If the photograph is accurate, then the address was 3871 West, La Center, KY. It was located east of the Ballard Memorial School, which you can see in the foreground of the photo.
Today, the property holds a few businesses with the address being where the screen was located. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/ya25w2ny
The marquee appears to be long gone.
You can still make out the ramps and foundation for the concession stand/projector booth. From the aerial photos, the property was mostly abandoned by the 1990s until 2008 when a residential or commercial structure was built.
Burwell Rd & Cortez Blvd is the closest intersection, so it makes for a good address.
To be more accurate, the drive-in itself is located about ¼ mile south of the intersection on the west side of the road. It was just on the south side of a large pond.
Today, the property is used for a pasture as cows are present in the street-level map. The ramps are still visible, but nothing else remains of the drive-in.
The name makes sense if it started out as an autoscope drive-in, then converted to a single, large screen as many of them did. But for whatever reason, they decided not to change the name.
Even with Cairo nearby, a 600-car drive-in seems awfully ambitious. My guess would be that they had plenty of cheap land to use, so there was no downside into making it that large.
While it is not unheard of to so totally demolish a drive-in that no trace exists, it does seem like overkill to do so thorough a job that they even took out the screen foundation and entrance just to make it farmland.
I have to agree with Drive-In 54.
If it wasn’t for the advertising, I’d never believe that a 600-car drive-in theater would be built between two towns with a combined population in 1960 at about 1,700 people. Plus, about 15-20 miles from Paducah to boot.
Drive-In 54 has sharper eyes that me since I’m not seeing any place between the two towns that indicates anything approaching the size of the drive-in. So, it was totally demolished for farmland it appears.
A closer address is 3321 Fairway Dr, Highland, IL. A 1991 aerial photo shows part of the ramps remaining at that location with most of the property covered by a pond.
Today, there is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/y8d2wp7k
The screen is gone, but the ramps, concession stand/projector booth, and ticket booth are still there.
A 1966 aerial photo shows the outline of the drive-in surrounding a home.
Here is an overhead view of the property today. https://tinyurl.com/y9qe8gbv
From the Fort Smith Historical Society, the address of the 71 Drive-In was 1919 South Zero, Fort Smith, AR.
The address puts it just on the east side of Mill Creek, but according to the information I received, the drive-in was located where the Southerlands now stands, which is on the west side of the creek.
@Kris4011 If you look at the Google street view from Rogers Drive, it does not appear to be plowed nor are they terraces. They have the distinctive “bumps” of car ramps.
However, it is true that the ramps seem slightly closer together compared to the other drive-ins. So, while I’m not discounting anything, this has all the signs of a drive-in (either independent or an expansion) that was abandoned before completion.
A 1954 topo map shows that there was a road that ran along the east side of the property which was removed when the neighborhood was put in. Perhaps that has something to do with it or not.
Question for the group.
Just to the north of the Boulevard Drive-In is the remnants of what appears to be yet another drive-in which is located at 3310 Rogers Dr. You can clearly see the ramps and the setting is perfect for a drive-in (downward slope to the screen).
A 1971 aerial either shows that drive-in was closed and demolished or perhaps it was never completed. This is because the ramps are intact, but no indication of a projection booth/concession stand foundation.
It also never appears on any topo maps dating back to the mid-1950s despite the Boulevard Drive-In being present.
Does anyone know if this drive-in was ever completed and opened?
Found It!
The drive-in was located about a ½ mile south of Milford Street & Locust Heights Drive, Clarksburg, WV.
The drive-in itself appears to be fully intact, including the screen. Although the projection booth/concession stand look a little worse for wear. The marquee is still standing as well.
https://tinyurl.com/y9g5hdl2
Obviously, the drive-in was named after the town. There is a Broken Bow, Oklahoma as well.