Capitol Drive-In
4646 NE 14th Street,
Des Moines,
IA
50313
4646 NE 14th Street,
Des Moines,
IA
50313
1 person
favorited this theater
Showing 7 comments
Closed the way a good drive-in used to close… with a triple feature. The Capitol closing July 4, 1983 with “Hell’s Angels Forever,” “Women of Passion” and “Satan’s Mistress.” Demolished in 1985, the neon attractor was salvaged and sent to California.
Boxoffice ran a full-age article on the Capitol in its Dec. 6, 1952 issue. “The screen tower, built of wood and enclosed with fireproof Transite, houses the manager’s office and storage space. Size of the picture screen is 62½x45½ feet.”
The ramps and entrance(and exit?) road/s may still be there under the overgrown site? Unknown what else may still be there on the site?
Letterhead & copy added courtesy of Rusty Hayes. “Years ago I worked at the Capitol Drive-In. When they were tearing it down I managed to salvage this letterhead from the debris.” John Cannon also added “In the late 60s, Lloyd Hirstine owned it. His son Richard was the assistant manager.”
September 19th, 1952 grand opening ad in photo section.
Here is a December 1965 ad from the Des Moines Register:
http://tinyurl.com/lfce4g
Here is a photo, circa 1979:
http://tinyurl.com/36aho3