The screen was gone by 1981. By 1989, the drive-in had been totally demolished and resurfaced with dirt. It sat empty at least through 1999 and by 2006 the substation had been put in.
Today, you can still see parch marks of a few ramps from the overhead view.
A 2019 aerial along with the latest Google aerial (date unknown) does show the drive-in intact. If the property is going to be purchased and reopened, then I doubt the drive-in has been demolished.
Google has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the property.
As of September 2019, it is still open ground with a small pile of what might be rocks and soil towards the back where the projection booth/concession stand once stood.
However, Google also lists the Divine Purpose Worship Center as being on the property, so it may have been built on already.
The outline, ramps, and concession stand/projector booth are still present in 1969, but the screen is gone.
By 1976, just about everything was gone save for the entrance and exit roads. They disappeared as a Best Western was built over them by 1992. At that point, all traces of the drive-in were removed.
Today, most of the property is empty and used as a parking area for truck.
The 1958 aerial shows ramps present amid the remnants of a drive-in that was clearly demolished.
The “remodeling to the new media” statement could be a switch to widescreen. But the timing is really early since “The Robe”, which was the first Hollywood widescreen film was released in the same year. And many drive-ins didn’t make the switch until a couple of years later.
All I can say is that in less than five years this drive-in seemed to have undergone two remodeling efforts before Hurricane Connie destroyed it for good.
If its last entry in the theater catalog was 1956, then it may have closed by 1957 and was certainly demolished by 1959. So, it could’ve lasted just three years.
The 1957 aerial shows the drive-in without a screen. Perhaps it was being rebuilt as a widescreen, but there is no indications of any construction equipment on the site.
By 1973, the drive-in had totally disappeared under the trees.
I’d say this drive-in was closed by 1957 given how long it takes for trees to completely cover a property.
A 1957 aerial shows the drive-in operational. It was still intact and perhaps operational in 1981.
By 1991, the drive-in had been demolished with only the projection booth/concession stand still intact.
By 2002, the projection booth/concession stand was gone. At this point, its use was clearly part of a truck driving school as mentioned in an earlier post.
That use has seemingly ended as the field is now mostly overgrow and the trails created for the truck have disappeared. It is now an empty field with no indication left that it was once a drive-in.
This was a relatively small drive-in, perhaps 100 car capacity.
It does appear intact in a 1965 aerial, but by 1968 it had been demolished. The lot was still empty a year later, but by 1973 the church had been built.
Today, there is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
The 1965 aerial does show the drive-in intact. However, there are a couple of things that make me believe it was not operational.
First, the screen is still square as common in the pre-widescreen era. Many drive-ins had converted to widescreen by the late 1950s. However, not all of them had as a few kept their old square screens.
Second, there are a couple of thin ditches on the east side of the property. The lines are not shadows and I’m not sure what they are for. But an operational drive-in would not have such ditches on the entrance side.
A 1985 aerial shows the screen and concession stand/projector booth intact, so perhaps both structures were rebuilt after the fire? It was still intact by 1991, but by 2004 the land was cleared and the driving range put in.
Today, a Planet Fitness sits on the property. What may have been the marquee has been fitted with the Planet Fitness sign. You can still see the general outline, but pretty much all traces of the drive-in are gone.
A closer address is 1920 W Dickinson Blvd, Fort Stockton, TX.
This puts it right at the entrance to the drive-in where an O'Reilly’s Auto Parts store currently sits.
A 1957 aerial shows the drive-in operational, but by 1984 it had been long demolished.
It’s pretty difficult to see any remnant of the drive-in. Particularly as its shape was defined by two major roads. But if you squint you can see a few parch marks of where some of the ramps used to be.
A 1981 aerial shows the drive-in long demolished with what is now B&D Threefold Collision Center on the property. The drive-in probably closed in the early-mid 1970s, perhaps earlier.
Today, most of the property is an empty field and you have to squint to see any vestiges of the ramps.
This places it right on the East Tawas Shot N Go which is now the entrance to the property. Today, most of the field is still empty and you can still see most of the outline, a faint hint of ramps, and the foundation of the projection booth/snack bar.
A 1957 aerial shows what’s left of the drive-in. The north side ran along 10th Avenue with the west side lining up with North Buchanan Street. The screen was on the east side, but it was gone by 1957.
You can see the ramps, but it has clearly been demolished. In fact, it’s difficult to tell where the main entrance might have been.
Today, the property has been taken over by housing. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
A 1955 aerial of the drive-in shows it to be twinned. So it may have started off as a twin which was rather unusual in 1955. However, what is odd about the 1955 and 1960 aerial is that the drive-in does not appear to have a projection booth/concession stand.
There is a large patch of white that sits where a projection booth/concession stand should be, but there is nothing on it. And there does not appear to be a fence, ticket booth, or marquee in either the 1955 or 1960 aerial.
The 1960 aerial shows that the south screen is now a widescreen as opposed to the square screen present in 1955.
Perhaps, and this is strictly a guess, the drive-in had yet to be completed by the 1955 aerial. But was completed and opened at some point later. Only to be shut down in 1960 for the screens to be replaced.
But that doesn’t explain the lack of a projection booth/concession stand. And since the ground around the center of the property looks unchanged, it appears that even by 1960 it had yet to be built.
So, was this drive-in ever opened? And if so, what years can be confirmed that it was opened?
Today, the outline, ramps, and part of the entrance ramp are the only remains of the drive-in.
And, although it is difficult to confirm with the Google Street photos, a light pole that sits just to the west of the power lines may also have been a part of the drive-in.
Google Maps has updated the addresses and this puts it right on the property.
The drive-in appears intact and perhaps operational in 1981, but had been demolished by 1992. Today, the property is occupied by two private residences with little, if any evidence that a drive-in once existed.
The projector booth/concession stand was in the front row. It may (operative word: may) still be standing or its foundation was used to support another building of the same size as that is present.
MichaelKilgore I’m not seeing another drive-in close to the town so far. But, I’m suspecting that the Star-Lite and Sierra Vista were the same.
You mentioned in your June 9, 2019 post on the Sierra Vista page in the first sentence, “I wonder whether this drive-in opened as the Sunset, which is listed in the 1950 & 1951 Film Daily Year Books as the only one in Socorro.
In addition, you mentioned in the description of this page, “100-car drive-in with in-car speakers. Up and coming town of 6,000. Only one small theatre in town. New Mexico School of Mines located in town; 600x600 ft. plot on which theatre is built is leased with good, long lease.”
That “one small theater” would most likely be the Loma Theater. And yet the Sierra Vista (under another name) was operating in 1949. Why wasn’t it mentioned? Unless perhaps it is the same theater.
If the Star-Lite was sold and closed for even a short time, it would make sense that under new ownership it would be re-opened as a “new” theater, especially if it had been expanded.
I’ve seen on more than one occasion theater advertisements that do not mentioned any previous ownership.
There’s clearly no projection booth on this site nor is there a screen.
If he had rebuilt the projection booth in August 1950, you think he wouldn’t have torn it down by October and totally cleared the property, especially if he hadn’t sold the land by that time.
And perhaps even more telling, no evidence of tire marks, tracks, or other indications that cars had ever been on the property. So, I don’t think this is it.
I will try to search Earth Explorer for any evidence of a drive-in.
The October 1950 aerial shows no screen or projection booth/concession stand at that site. And yet the article you cite states that the projection booth had been rebuilt reportedly by August of that year, so both should be there, right?
The circle driveway seems to have more to do with connecting the house seen on the north side to the stable/shed just to the south. With the connecting road leading to what looks like a barn on the NE corner of the property.
Is there any other evidence to suggest this is the site? Otherwise, this looks like private property to me.
The screen was gone by 1981. By 1989, the drive-in had been totally demolished and resurfaced with dirt. It sat empty at least through 1999 and by 2006 the substation had been put in.
Today, you can still see parch marks of a few ramps from the overhead view.
A 2019 aerial along with the latest Google aerial (date unknown) does show the drive-in intact. If the property is going to be purchased and reopened, then I doubt the drive-in has been demolished.
A closer address is 1970 Phinizy Rd, Augusta, GA.
Google has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the property.
As of September 2019, it is still open ground with a small pile of what might be rocks and soil towards the back where the projection booth/concession stand once stood.
However, Google also lists the Divine Purpose Worship Center as being on the property, so it may have been built on already.
The outline, ramps, and concession stand/projector booth are still present in 1969, but the screen is gone.
By 1976, just about everything was gone save for the entrance and exit roads. They disappeared as a Best Western was built over them by 1992. At that point, all traces of the drive-in were removed.
Today, most of the property is empty and used as a parking area for truck.
The 1958 aerial shows ramps present amid the remnants of a drive-in that was clearly demolished.
The “remodeling to the new media” statement could be a switch to widescreen. But the timing is really early since “The Robe”, which was the first Hollywood widescreen film was released in the same year. And many drive-ins didn’t make the switch until a couple of years later.
All I can say is that in less than five years this drive-in seemed to have undergone two remodeling efforts before Hurricane Connie destroyed it for good.
If its last entry in the theater catalog was 1956, then it may have closed by 1957 and was certainly demolished by 1959. So, it could’ve lasted just three years.
The 1957 aerial shows the drive-in without a screen. Perhaps it was being rebuilt as a widescreen, but there is no indications of any construction equipment on the site.
By 1973, the drive-in had totally disappeared under the trees.
I’d say this drive-in was closed by 1957 given how long it takes for trees to completely cover a property.
A 1957 aerial shows the drive-in operational. It was still intact and perhaps operational in 1981.
By 1991, the drive-in had been demolished with only the projection booth/concession stand still intact.
By 2002, the projection booth/concession stand was gone. At this point, its use was clearly part of a truck driving school as mentioned in an earlier post.
That use has seemingly ended as the field is now mostly overgrow and the trails created for the truck have disappeared. It is now an empty field with no indication left that it was once a drive-in.
The grand reopening was last night, April 15th, 2023. https://tinyurl.com/3cttdcth
This was a relatively small drive-in, perhaps 100 car capacity.
It does appear intact in a 1965 aerial, but by 1968 it had been demolished. The lot was still empty a year later, but by 1973 the church had been built.
Today, there is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
The 1965 aerial does show the drive-in intact. However, there are a couple of things that make me believe it was not operational.
First, the screen is still square as common in the pre-widescreen era. Many drive-ins had converted to widescreen by the late 1950s. However, not all of them had as a few kept their old square screens.
Second, there are a couple of thin ditches on the east side of the property. The lines are not shadows and I’m not sure what they are for. But an operational drive-in would not have such ditches on the entrance side.
The drive-in had been totally demolished by 1998.
Looking at the 2012 Google Street View, a for sale sign is on the lot. But that had disappeared by 2016.
Today, only the outline, ramps, entrance/exit road, and the foundations of the screen and projector booth/concession stand remain.
A Home & Garden Stone & Accents store has been built over the ramps, wiping out all remaining traces of the drive-in.
A 1985 aerial shows the screen and concession stand/projector booth intact, so perhaps both structures were rebuilt after the fire? It was still intact by 1991, but by 2004 the land was cleared and the driving range put in.
Today, a Planet Fitness sits on the property. What may have been the marquee has been fitted with the Planet Fitness sign. You can still see the general outline, but pretty much all traces of the drive-in are gone.
A closer address is 1920 W Dickinson Blvd, Fort Stockton, TX.
This puts it right at the entrance to the drive-in where an O'Reilly’s Auto Parts store currently sits.
A 1957 aerial shows the drive-in operational, but by 1984 it had been long demolished.
It’s pretty difficult to see any remnant of the drive-in. Particularly as its shape was defined by two major roads. But if you squint you can see a few parch marks of where some of the ramps used to be.
https://tinyurl.com/t4d3w2j2
A 1981 aerial shows the drive-in long demolished with what is now B&D Threefold Collision Center on the property. The drive-in probably closed in the early-mid 1970s, perhaps earlier.
Today, most of the property is an empty field and you have to squint to see any vestiges of the ramps.
An October 2019 Google Street View shows the screen still intact. The marquee is in pretty bad shape.
A closer address is 2099 US-23, East Tawas, MI.
This places it right on the East Tawas Shot N Go which is now the entrance to the property. Today, most of the field is still empty and you can still see most of the outline, a faint hint of ramps, and the foundation of the projection booth/snack bar.
https://tinyurl.com/3pvmxtna
A closer address is 321 10th Ave E, Jerome, ID.
A 1957 aerial shows what’s left of the drive-in. The north side ran along 10th Avenue with the west side lining up with North Buchanan Street. The screen was on the east side, but it was gone by 1957.
You can see the ramps, but it has clearly been demolished. In fact, it’s difficult to tell where the main entrance might have been.
Today, the property has been taken over by housing. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/yck6jr5k
A 1955 aerial of the drive-in shows it to be twinned. So it may have started off as a twin which was rather unusual in 1955. However, what is odd about the 1955 and 1960 aerial is that the drive-in does not appear to have a projection booth/concession stand.
There is a large patch of white that sits where a projection booth/concession stand should be, but there is nothing on it. And there does not appear to be a fence, ticket booth, or marquee in either the 1955 or 1960 aerial.
The 1960 aerial shows that the south screen is now a widescreen as opposed to the square screen present in 1955.
Perhaps, and this is strictly a guess, the drive-in had yet to be completed by the 1955 aerial. But was completed and opened at some point later. Only to be shut down in 1960 for the screens to be replaced.
But that doesn’t explain the lack of a projection booth/concession stand. And since the ground around the center of the property looks unchanged, it appears that even by 1960 it had yet to be built.
So, was this drive-in ever opened? And if so, what years can be confirmed that it was opened?
Today, the outline, ramps, and part of the entrance ramp are the only remains of the drive-in.
And, although it is difficult to confirm with the Google Street photos, a light pole that sits just to the west of the power lines may also have been a part of the drive-in.
A closer address is 3395 S Johns Ave, Emmett, ID.
Google Maps has updated the addresses and this puts it right on the property.
The drive-in appears intact and perhaps operational in 1981, but had been demolished by 1992. Today, the property is occupied by two private residences with little, if any evidence that a drive-in once existed.
The projector booth/concession stand was in the front row. It may (operative word: may) still be standing or its foundation was used to support another building of the same size as that is present.
https://tinyurl.com/yu6cjxph
MichaelKilgore I’m not seeing another drive-in close to the town so far. But, I’m suspecting that the Star-Lite and Sierra Vista were the same.
You mentioned in your June 9, 2019 post on the Sierra Vista page in the first sentence, “I wonder whether this drive-in opened as the Sunset, which is listed in the 1950 & 1951 Film Daily Year Books as the only one in Socorro.
In addition, you mentioned in the description of this page, “100-car drive-in with in-car speakers. Up and coming town of 6,000. Only one small theatre in town. New Mexico School of Mines located in town; 600x600 ft. plot on which theatre is built is leased with good, long lease.”
That “one small theater” would most likely be the Loma Theater. And yet the Sierra Vista (under another name) was operating in 1949. Why wasn’t it mentioned? Unless perhaps it is the same theater.
If the Star-Lite was sold and closed for even a short time, it would make sense that under new ownership it would be re-opened as a “new” theater, especially if it had been expanded.
I’ve seen on more than one occasion theater advertisements that do not mentioned any previous ownership.
There’s clearly no projection booth on this site nor is there a screen. If he had rebuilt the projection booth in August 1950, you think he wouldn’t have torn it down by October and totally cleared the property, especially if he hadn’t sold the land by that time.
And perhaps even more telling, no evidence of tire marks, tracks, or other indications that cars had ever been on the property. So, I don’t think this is it.
I will try to search Earth Explorer for any evidence of a drive-in.
The October 1950 aerial shows no screen or projection booth/concession stand at that site. And yet the article you cite states that the projection booth had been rebuilt reportedly by August of that year, so both should be there, right?
The circle driveway seems to have more to do with connecting the house seen on the north side to the stable/shed just to the south. With the connecting road leading to what looks like a barn on the NE corner of the property.
Is there any other evidence to suggest this is the site? Otherwise, this looks like private property to me.