Nor'West Drive-In
12050 Perry Street,
Broomfield,
CO
80020
12050 Perry Street,
Broomfield,
CO
80020
2 people
favorited this theater
The Nor'West Drive-In is located on the corner of 120th Avenue and Perry Street in Broomfield. It was opened on March 23, 1967 with Fred MacMurray in “Follow Me Boys” & “Yul Brynner in "Return of the Seven”. Operated by Commonwealth Theaters Corp., they closed it in 1986. The Nor'West Drive-In was closed at the end of the 1996 season. The theater was still completely intact until fairly recently (as of this posting December 25, 2007) but now the marquee, screen and ticket booth have been demolished leaving only the concession/projection booth and the ramps.
There is a church that was constructed on the northeast corner several years ago and now a medical clinic has been constructed several hundred feet west of that. In 2009, it looked like the rest of the land would soon be developed and the remaining building demolished. All was gone by June 2023.
Contributed by
Anthony L. Hernandez
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
I worked at this theater in 1978-1979. I was 16 years old. My dad was Asst. Mgr. I worked the ticket booth and concession stand. Sad to see it torn down now. The Mgrs was a woman named Brandy I think. She had a daughter that gave me a BJ in the ticket booth. lol true story.
The Nor-West drive-in opened on 3/22/67. I am putting together a series of books on the Denver area’s drive-ins and indoor theatres. If anyone has any questions on the subject, please feel free to contact me at and I’ll be happy to share my research with you. Thanks – Ken Mitchell
The Nor-West was still operating on May 31, 1996, when the Denver Post ran an article about the remaining active drive-ins in the area. Bill Holshue then owned the Nor-West and the 88 of Commerce City.
I’ve put together a booking history for the Nor'West drive-in, from 1967 up to 1978 so far, along with ads, photos and other information – in case anyone would like to know when a particular movie played there. I’m always happy to share my research with interested people. Take care – Ken Mitchell ()
Opened on March 23rd, 1967. Grand opening ad posted.
A June 2023 Google Street View shows the projection booth/concession stand was removed. Only the foundation remains along with the ramps and foundation of the screen.
Closed by Commonwealth in 1986, another operator may have reopened it later.
Last season: 1996.
As rivest266 surmised, another operator bought the Nor-West before the 1987 season. William “Bill” Holshoe, who had purchased the nearby 88 Drive-In in 1976, apparently bought the Nor-West as well. An August 1997 article in the Broomfield Enterprise said that he “managed the Nor-West for a decade before calling it quits last year.” He didn’t advertise in the Denver papers too often during that decade, but when he did, it was a combined 88/Norwest listing.
The reason Holshoe reluctantly closed the drive-in at the end of the 1996 season was because city fathers were excited about a developer’s plan for an indoor ice rink. That August 1997 article was about the fact that the rink proposal had already faded away. The site continues to sit vacant today.