Skyview Drive In
Poinsett Drive,
Cocoa,
FL
32926
Poinsett Drive,
Cocoa,
FL
32926
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The Skyview Drive-In was opened on December 6, 1953 with Charlton Heston in “The Greatest Show on Earth”. It was operated by S.M. Blackman & F.L. Stowe. Initially it had mixed race audiences, but within a year it was operating as an African American theatre. By 1955 it was operated by Talgar Theatre Company & Glenn Gryder. It closed in December 1959 due to the opening of the Vanguard Drive-In.
Contributed by
Sarah Boucher
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
The Skyview Drive-In opened its gates on December 6, 1953 with “The Greatest Show On Earth” along with an unnamed cartoon and a newsreel, and was located one block west of Yancey Trailer Park on Poinsett Drive.
According to an announcement released by the management before opening, it originally operated as a drive-in for white and black patrons with separated entrances. Unfortunately later into its operation is when most of their special children’s events are focused more towards the colored children while the white children had their events at the State Theatre, meaning that it turned into an African-American drive-in within a year.
A possible address is 610 Johnson Street, Cocoa, Florida.
A 1958 aerial shows a small drive-in with the screen intact, along with the projection booth/concession stand and what appears to be large speakers.
I cannot say 100% that this is the same drive-in. Especially because there is no “Poinsett Drive” in Cocoa today. And there is no trailer park one block to the east in the 1958 aerial. But it is a drive-in.
That area has been changed radically since 1958. A pond sits where the drive-in was located. But Bernard Street did not exist at that time. The entrance road connected to what is now Johnson Street and ran along the same line as Bernard Street today.
https://tinyurl.com/yceptny5
All the information above came directly from an announcement posted on The Evening Tribune from December 1953. Unfortunately there is no grand opening ad or article (but I could be wrong. If there is one then I considered as lost). And yes, despite “Poinsett Drive” being listed in the announcement, I don’t see any sign of “Poinsett Drive” from Google or Historic Aerials as I looked up from earlier this afternoon, although I came close with “Lake Poinsett Road” way west of Cocoa.
Vanguard Drive-In has its own page
There is no drive-in on Lake Poinsett Road in 1958 nor does any appear afterward. Again, I’m not sure the drive-in I found is the same, but I have not seen another drive-in when searching the 1958 aerial.