A June 2022 Google Street View does show a mostly cleaned-up property. Although the base of the screen can still be see. But if you didn’t know what it was, you wouldn’t know by looking at what’s left of it.
A 1978 aerial shows nothing but parch marks of the ramps, outline, and entrance/exit road of the drive-in. The parch marks have long faded away.
Today, a house sits about where the screen once stood. Most of the property is farmland. But there is one small trace of the drive-in remaining. A few feet of the entrance road still exists, albeit in dirt form, where it connects to 664th Avenue.
At 1103 N 4th, Lexa, AR, the 1957 aerial shows an open field behind two small commercial buildings. The field has parch marks that are sorta fanned-shaped. But more importantly there is a small structure in the middle that is about the right size and shape for a projection booth.
It’s still not good enough for me to say that this was where the drive-in was located. Mostly because I see no evidence of a screen or the support structure for one (assuming it wasn’t temporary).
It’s unusual for a drive-in to be completely demolished with all traces removed unless something large is built on the property. Mostly because it’s not worth the effort. Ramps, entrance/exit roads, and the outline normally remain especially when only a few years have passed since its closing.
There is no large structure anywhere close to the area where the drive-in was located. So, that leaves a temporary drive in with no permanent structures. That’s my guess as to what this was unless an earlier aerial showing the drive-in can be produced.
A 1957 aerial shows no trace of any drive-in along the highway to the north of the town. So, it not only lasted a short time, it was demolished and unrecognizable just 6 years later. This may have been a temporary drive-in which would explain why it left no trace.
One mile north of West Helena puts it roughly where North 4th Street intersects with AR-185, the road that leads to the airport. There is a property on the north side that looks roughed up as if cars had been parked on it. But that is not enough evidence to say that was it.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this one puts it right on the property. You can see the remaining ramps and the marquee is still there as of September 2022.
It appears that the highway was shifted to the east at some point, which is why the marquee is no longer beside the road.
Nope, I see no indication of any other drive-in in the Newport area. Although it could’ve pre-dated the aerials or existed for a short time and was demolished between aerials.
I’m wondering if it existed in the town at all. Even a temporary drive-in with a car capacity of 300 vehicles is going to leave a recognizable mark a few years after it shut down.
The exception would be a large building constructed on the property, but there is no such structure along South 9th that would wipe out the existence of a drive-in. At least in the 1957 aerial.
I’ve yet to run across an aerial that was not dated correctly. So, assuming the aerial is accurate, then I’m not buying a drive-in along South 9th unless an earlier aerial is produced that shows it.
A 1957 aerial shows the drive-in intact and appearing operational. By 1961, it appears closed.
A trail cuts through the drive-in from the north to the projection booth/concession stand before turning west. The west side of the property looks to be razed or at least highly disturbed.
I’d say this drive-in closed at least a year earlier than 1961, perhaps two or three years earlier.
One curious bit is that the 1984 aerial makes it appear that the projection booth/concession stand was torn down. It’s not a good photo, but the square-ish blotch where the structure should be looks like a foundation, not a building.
It’s certainly a far different shape compared to the structure as seen in the 1963 and later in the 1998 aerial.
Did the building undergo an extensive remodel or perhaps was torn down and then rebuilt? Even taking away the 1984 aerial, that building does look significantly different from 1963 as compared to 1998.
Another minor question is the the location of the projectors inside the structure that aimed at the second screen. The projectors would have to sit at a pretty sharp angle given the location of the windows in the building. Or, were the projectors in another structure that was taken down after the drive-in closed?
A closer address is 12290 Patterson Ave, Richmond, VA.
This is the address for Yardworks LLC and is right on the property. The concession stand/projection booth was demolished by 2013. Today, there is little recognizable of the drive-in on the property.
The drive-in appears to have always had the screen supported by thin steel posts.
It is intact and appears operational in 1981. By 1985, the trees had enclosed around part of the screen, so it may have closed by then.
By 1989, the trees were removed and a building constructed next to the projection booth/concession stand. It’s days as a drive-in were clearly over at that point.
The screen was still standing in 2013. By 2019 it was mostly torn down, but the marquee is still there.
A pair of medical buildings now sit on the site, taking up most of the property.
However, the entrance and exit roads or at least part of them still exist. They are still present on the west end of the property and connect with the Columbia HWY.
Jamey_monroe45 - Both MichaelKilgore and I are guessing as to the location of the drive-in. While I believe the maintenance yard seems the most likely candidate, there is no concrete evidence that it is.
A 1968 aerial shows the maintenance yard and no topo map indicates that it ever was a drive-in, though that is hardly uncommon.
Despite being under a few feet of dirt and grass, parch marks from the ramps of the second screen are visible on the north end of the property in this Google overhead view.
A June 2023 Google Street View shows the screen is still standing, although it is disappearing into the trees.
https://tinyurl.com/mryyt4xp
A June 2022 Google Street View does show a mostly cleaned-up property. Although the base of the screen can still be see. But if you didn’t know what it was, you wouldn’t know by looking at what’s left of it.
A 1978 aerial shows nothing but parch marks of the ramps, outline, and entrance/exit road of the drive-in. The parch marks have long faded away.
Today, a house sits about where the screen once stood. Most of the property is farmland. But there is one small trace of the drive-in remaining. A few feet of the entrance road still exists, albeit in dirt form, where it connects to 664th Avenue.
https://tinyurl.com/zvj5errf
You can still see part of the outline with the trees that border the property on the east and north sides.
At 1103 N 4th, Lexa, AR, the 1957 aerial shows an open field behind two small commercial buildings. The field has parch marks that are sorta fanned-shaped. But more importantly there is a small structure in the middle that is about the right size and shape for a projection booth.
It’s still not good enough for me to say that this was where the drive-in was located. Mostly because I see no evidence of a screen or the support structure for one (assuming it wasn’t temporary).
So, this is just a guess.
It’s unusual for a drive-in to be completely demolished with all traces removed unless something large is built on the property. Mostly because it’s not worth the effort. Ramps, entrance/exit roads, and the outline normally remain especially when only a few years have passed since its closing.
There is no large structure anywhere close to the area where the drive-in was located. So, that leaves a temporary drive in with no permanent structures. That’s my guess as to what this was unless an earlier aerial showing the drive-in can be produced.
A 1957 aerial shows no trace of any drive-in along the highway to the north of the town. So, it not only lasted a short time, it was demolished and unrecognizable just 6 years later. This may have been a temporary drive-in which would explain why it left no trace.
One mile north of West Helena puts it roughly where North 4th Street intersects with AR-185, the road that leads to the airport. There is a property on the north side that looks roughed up as if cars had been parked on it. But that is not enough evidence to say that was it.
A closer address is 4979 E Lee Hwy, Loudon, TN.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this one puts it right on the property. You can see the remaining ramps and the marquee is still there as of September 2022.
It appears that the highway was shifted to the east at some point, which is why the marquee is no longer beside the road.
https://tinyurl.com/b3mv373n
Nope, I see no indication of any other drive-in in the Newport area. Although it could’ve pre-dated the aerials or existed for a short time and was demolished between aerials.
I’m wondering if it existed in the town at all. Even a temporary drive-in with a car capacity of 300 vehicles is going to leave a recognizable mark a few years after it shut down.
The exception would be a large building constructed on the property, but there is no such structure along South 9th that would wipe out the existence of a drive-in. At least in the 1957 aerial.
I’ve yet to run across an aerial that was not dated correctly. So, assuming the aerial is accurate, then I’m not buying a drive-in along South 9th unless an earlier aerial is produced that shows it.
It may have closed well before 1961.
A 1957 aerial shows the drive-in intact and appearing operational. By 1961, it appears closed.
A trail cuts through the drive-in from the north to the projection booth/concession stand before turning west. The west side of the property looks to be razed or at least highly disturbed.
I’d say this drive-in closed at least a year earlier than 1961, perhaps two or three years earlier.
The drive-in was razed and replaced by townhouses by 2003. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining save for the entrance road.
A closer address is 1627 385n, Seagraves, TX.
This puts it right on the house that sits where the old entrance road once stood. There is no trace of the drive-in today.
https://tinyurl.com/5cwszmc6
A closer address is 464 FM 1633, Mexia, TX.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the entrance.
Today, a large house sits on the property with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/26mr3e74
A closer address is 8198 Valley View Rd, Custer, WA.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the property.
The concession stand/projector booth is still standing, but part of the roof looks caved in.
https://tinyurl.com/yc6f2u89
To clear up the confusion, the drive-in closed in 1974. It was demolished and a K-Mart store took over the location.
The K-Mart closed in 2017 and is now a U-Haul.
One curious bit is that the 1984 aerial makes it appear that the projection booth/concession stand was torn down. It’s not a good photo, but the square-ish blotch where the structure should be looks like a foundation, not a building.
It’s certainly a far different shape compared to the structure as seen in the 1963 and later in the 1998 aerial.
Did the building undergo an extensive remodel or perhaps was torn down and then rebuilt? Even taking away the 1984 aerial, that building does look significantly different from 1963 as compared to 1998.
Another minor question is the the location of the projectors inside the structure that aimed at the second screen. The projectors would have to sit at a pretty sharp angle given the location of the windows in the building. Or, were the projectors in another structure that was taken down after the drive-in closed?
A closer address is 12290 Patterson Ave, Richmond, VA.
This is the address for Yardworks LLC and is right on the property. The concession stand/projection booth was demolished by 2013. Today, there is little recognizable of the drive-in on the property.
https://tinyurl.com/49js7fxx
The drive-in appears to have always had the screen supported by thin steel posts.
It is intact and appears operational in 1981. By 1985, the trees had enclosed around part of the screen, so it may have closed by then.
By 1989, the trees were removed and a building constructed next to the projection booth/concession stand. It’s days as a drive-in were clearly over at that point.
The screen was still standing in 2013. By 2019 it was mostly torn down, but the marquee is still there.
The drive-in was still intact in 1986, but was demolished by 1989.
A pair of medical buildings now sit on the site, taking up most of the property.
However, the entrance and exit roads or at least part of them still exist. They are still present on the west end of the property and connect with the Columbia HWY.
A closer address is 88 State Hwy 206, Tatum, NM.
Google Maps has updated their addresses. This puts it right on the property.
https://tinyurl.com/5bhchmy6
Jamey_monroe45 - Both MichaelKilgore and I are guessing as to the location of the drive-in. While I believe the maintenance yard seems the most likely candidate, there is no concrete evidence that it is.
A 1968 aerial shows the maintenance yard and no topo map indicates that it ever was a drive-in, though that is hardly uncommon.
Until there is proof, no update is needed.
Despite being under a few feet of dirt and grass, parch marks from the ramps of the second screen are visible on the north end of the property in this Google overhead view.
https://tinyurl.com/yndhmhxx
A closer address is 2998 S Stockton Ave, Monahans, TX.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the property. You can still see parch marks of some of the ramps.
https://tinyurl.com/y3rzj9p5