You can also use the address, 1191 Co Rd 66, Hornell, NY which appears on Google Maps. Today, the property is partially occupied by an Aldi Food Market with the rest being intersected by HWY NY 36.
From looking at the Topo maps and 1952 aerial photo, the land behind the drive-in was a golf course during and after World War II that appears to have been razed for residential dwellings around 1952 that never came about. Today, it’s still mostly an open field which does offer a track.
If it ever was an airfield, it sported an awfully short runway. There is a creek that cuts the field practically in half and would not make for a pleasant landing.
It would be helpful to know the opening date of the drive-in, which does seem well established in 1952. That would help in understanding the origin of the name “Air Sho” and whether it had anything to do with an airfield that seemingly was gone long before the drive-in came about.
After looking at the corner of Craft and Chieftain which is to the east of the drive-in, that is considerably closer to matching the photo assuming it was taken on the SE corner of the intersection looking NW. It also makes considerable sense to stick the marquee at that intersection as opposed to the entrance of the theater.
It’s close enough for me to say that it is the same and I apologize for not considering that possibility when looking at the photo. The area has changed considerably with a tire store (converted strip mall it appears) on the corner. The building on the left could be the high school and the raised manhole cover looks nearly the same, albeit changed over time.
What clinched it for me was the single-story house seen just to the right of the marquee with the chimney. That house, although changed somewhat, still exists and you can see it on Google Street View. The two-story house to the left has changed quite a bit and almost threw me, but again, I apologize for not taking another location into consideration when looking at the photo.
Another thing that bugs me is the photo. It appears to have been taken in 1958 (“Windom’s Way” was released in ‘57, but “The Big Beat” was '58). It is taken from SW of the drive-in entrance on the opposite side of the road looking NE. It has to be since we see a road next to the marquee and nothing like that existed on the south side of the street.
Yet, the houses appear to be too close and the building on the left does not appear in the 1952 or 1967 aerial photo or any topo map from the time. If you use Google Street View, the houses are considerably further back and that building has never existed anywhere near that location.
Also, you can see the shadow of the power poles on the street, yet no pole was located in that spot, it was considerably further to the west. Not to mention that no photo shows telephone poles and lines on the north side of the street.
I do not believe what we see in the photo matches the area around the entrance of the drive-in. So, either the photo is from a different “Air Sho” or the drive-in on Chieftain Way is not the “Air Sho”.
The address is 1705 State Hwy 411, Johnson City, TN. The drive-in sat on the south side of the road with the screen on the SE corner of the property. The topo maps do not reveal the entrance/exit roads of the drive-in.
Today, most of the property is a parking lot along with a couple of businesses. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
The marquee today is different in design than the photo, so it appears some changes were made before the theater closed. Also, it sits well away from the highway, so either it was moved or the road was moved at some point.
A closer address (at least for the Google Map) is U.S. 421 and W Hopewell Rd, Versailles, IN. This location is just to the south of the drive-in which sits on the west side of US 421. The previous address kept placing the Google Map in the center of Versailles.
A much closer address (at least for Google Maps) is Alabama 59 and County Road 48 S, Summerville, AL. The drive-in was located just to the south of the intersection on the west side of Alabama 59.
Today, it appears to be owned by Davis Nursery with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
http://tinyurl.com/y7ryvkub
According to one source I found, the Terrace Drive-In was open in 1951. A 1946 aerial photo shows no drive-in on the property, so it must have been built between those two years.
However, it did not last very long as a 1956 aerial photo shows it to be demolished. A victim apparently of the construction of HWY 280 and HWY 101 which cut off its entrance road.
Today, housing takes up most of the property, although there is a small corner where the screen once sat that is still open.
The address is 189 US Highway 46, Saddle Brook, NJ which places it right in the middle of where the drive-in was located. This would be on the NE or back side of the property well away from the street.
From aerial photos, the drive-in was still present in 1970, but by 1979 it had been demolished.
Today, a Wal-Mart sits where the drive-in was located. Nothing remains, save arguably for the outline that is on three sides of the Wal-Mart.
http://tinyurl.com/ycz22lpf
It still appears that the screen, or at least the bottom half, is still standing. It is located just past where the road turns north to the baseball field and it faces to the east.
A 2016 Google Street View appears to show the ticket booth and concession stand/projection booth are no longer there. The CS/PB still appears on the overhead, but given its condition, it is not surprising that it is now gone.
Aside from the screen being taken down sometime in the 1990s, the property has remained virtually the same. The concession stand/projector booth remains intact.
However, a new access road will have to be constructed if someone wants to invest in the drive-in.
As of 2012, the screen is still up. However, it is in such poor condition that it will have to be rebuilt. Otherwise, the concession stand/projection booth and marquee are gone, so it is basically an empty field.
The property is in a decent location. Across from the high school with the entrance and exit on the auxiliary or feeder road which is adjacent to the main highway. However, it will take a major investment to bring it back.
The correct address is 13135 Wintzell Ave
Bayou La Batre, Alabama. Today, Boja’s Foods Inc. sits on the east side of the property while the west side is overgrown with trees. The drive-in was built after 1953, but you can see the remnants of the ramps in a 1997 photo.
There are no visible remains of the drive-in, although there might be ramps and foundations underneath the tree cover.
The address is 3456 Saint Stephens Road, Mobile, AL, which points directly at the current entrance. You can make out the remnants of the drive-in on the south side of the property as lonespaceranger has pointed out.
http://tinyurl.com/ya9dekk9
You can also use the address, 1191 Co Rd 66, Hornell, NY which appears on Google Maps. Today, the property is partially occupied by an Aldi Food Market with the rest being intersected by HWY NY 36.
There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
http://tinyurl.com/y8ys45q7
The land itself is now overgrown with trees. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
From looking at the Topo maps and 1952 aerial photo, the land behind the drive-in was a golf course during and after World War II that appears to have been razed for residential dwellings around 1952 that never came about. Today, it’s still mostly an open field which does offer a track.
If it ever was an airfield, it sported an awfully short runway. There is a creek that cuts the field practically in half and would not make for a pleasant landing.
It would be helpful to know the opening date of the drive-in, which does seem well established in 1952. That would help in understanding the origin of the name “Air Sho” and whether it had anything to do with an airfield that seemingly was gone long before the drive-in came about.
After looking at the corner of Craft and Chieftain which is to the east of the drive-in, that is considerably closer to matching the photo assuming it was taken on the SE corner of the intersection looking NW. It also makes considerable sense to stick the marquee at that intersection as opposed to the entrance of the theater.
It’s close enough for me to say that it is the same and I apologize for not considering that possibility when looking at the photo. The area has changed considerably with a tire store (converted strip mall it appears) on the corner. The building on the left could be the high school and the raised manhole cover looks nearly the same, albeit changed over time.
What clinched it for me was the single-story house seen just to the right of the marquee with the chimney. That house, although changed somewhat, still exists and you can see it on Google Street View. The two-story house to the left has changed quite a bit and almost threw me, but again, I apologize for not taking another location into consideration when looking at the photo.
Another thing that bugs me is the photo. It appears to have been taken in 1958 (“Windom’s Way” was released in ‘57, but “The Big Beat” was '58). It is taken from SW of the drive-in entrance on the opposite side of the road looking NE. It has to be since we see a road next to the marquee and nothing like that existed on the south side of the street.
Yet, the houses appear to be too close and the building on the left does not appear in the 1952 or 1967 aerial photo or any topo map from the time. If you use Google Street View, the houses are considerably further back and that building has never existed anywhere near that location.
Also, you can see the shadow of the power poles on the street, yet no pole was located in that spot, it was considerably further to the west. Not to mention that no photo shows telephone poles and lines on the north side of the street.
I do not believe what we see in the photo matches the area around the entrance of the drive-in. So, either the photo is from a different “Air Sho” or the drive-in on Chieftain Way is not the “Air Sho”.
Found it!
The address is 1705 State Hwy 411, Johnson City, TN. The drive-in sat on the south side of the road with the screen on the SE corner of the property. The topo maps do not reveal the entrance/exit roads of the drive-in.
Today, most of the property is a parking lot along with a couple of businesses. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
http://tinyurl.com/yaste3k7
The marquee today is different in design than the photo, so it appears some changes were made before the theater closed. Also, it sits well away from the highway, so either it was moved or the road was moved at some point.
If this is the drive-in that was located south of the Walmart on the opposite side of the road, then it was demolished, but nothing replaced it.
Today, it is overgrown with trees and no trace of the drive-in remains save perhaps for a faint outline.
The projection booth/snack bar is still standing, but the roof has caved in.
It appears that the screen has been torn down. The area where it was located has been cleared out.
A closer address (at least for the Google Map) is U.S. 421 and W Hopewell Rd, Versailles, IN. This location is just to the south of the drive-in which sits on the west side of US 421. The previous address kept placing the Google Map in the center of Versailles.
http://tinyurl.com/yb86bfcw
The latest overhead view from Google shows the ramps still present behind both dealerships, albeit faint, but they are still present.
The screen was an uninsurable, wooden tinderbox. The cause of the fire was accidental as the fire marshall ruled out arson, lightning, or electricity.
A much closer address (at least for Google Maps) is Alabama 59 and County Road 48 S, Summerville, AL. The drive-in was located just to the south of the intersection on the west side of Alabama 59.
Today, it appears to be owned by Davis Nursery with no trace of the drive-in remaining. http://tinyurl.com/y7ryvkub
According to one source I found, the Terrace Drive-In was open in 1951. A 1946 aerial photo shows no drive-in on the property, so it must have been built between those two years.
However, it did not last very long as a 1956 aerial photo shows it to be demolished. A victim apparently of the construction of HWY 280 and HWY 101 which cut off its entrance road.
Today, housing takes up most of the property, although there is a small corner where the screen once sat that is still open.
The address is 189 US Highway 46, Saddle Brook, NJ which places it right in the middle of where the drive-in was located. This would be on the NE or back side of the property well away from the street.
From aerial photos, the drive-in was still present in 1970, but by 1979 it had been demolished.
Today, a Wal-Mart sits where the drive-in was located. Nothing remains, save arguably for the outline that is on three sides of the Wal-Mart. http://tinyurl.com/ycz22lpf
It does appear that the projection booth/concession stand is still standing.
It still appears that the screen, or at least the bottom half, is still standing. It is located just past where the road turns north to the baseball field and it faces to the east.
A 2016 Google Street View appears to show the ticket booth and concession stand/projection booth are no longer there. The CS/PB still appears on the overhead, but given its condition, it is not surprising that it is now gone.
Aside from the screen being taken down sometime in the 1990s, the property has remained virtually the same. The concession stand/projector booth remains intact.
However, a new access road will have to be constructed if someone wants to invest in the drive-in.
As of 2012, the screen is still up. However, it is in such poor condition that it will have to be rebuilt. Otherwise, the concession stand/projection booth and marquee are gone, so it is basically an empty field.
The property is in a decent location. Across from the high school with the entrance and exit on the auxiliary or feeder road which is adjacent to the main highway. However, it will take a major investment to bring it back.
The correct address is 13135 Wintzell Ave Bayou La Batre, Alabama. Today, Boja’s Foods Inc. sits on the east side of the property while the west side is overgrown with trees. The drive-in was built after 1953, but you can see the remnants of the ramps in a 1997 photo.
There are no visible remains of the drive-in, although there might be ramps and foundations underneath the tree cover.
http://tinyurl.com/yan72cqf
The address is 3456 Saint Stephens Road, Mobile, AL, which points directly at the current entrance. You can make out the remnants of the drive-in on the south side of the property as lonespaceranger has pointed out. http://tinyurl.com/ya9dekk9
The projection booth/concession stand also appears to be standing as well.
The screen is still standing and looking in really good shape, so someone is definitely maintaining it.
However, the projection booth/concession stand is no more. It is just the foundation with some picnic tables on it.