The Circle Drive-In closed either in 1978 or 1979. A September 1980 article from the Waco Citizen says that the former Circle Drive-In was converted into a plumbing supply whole warehouse before it became an insurance office.
Correction: The address for the theater was located on 4501 I-35, Waco, TX 76705. It was a former adjacent to the current Atwoods Ranch & Home store next door. Previously, it was abandoned before the former theater next door was demolished.
This opened as a twin. A third screen was added in the early 1970s, and two more were added in 1978 bringing a total to five. A sixth screen was added in the early 1980s, and four more by the late 1980s bringing a total to 10 screens. The theater added four more screens in the early-2000s bringing a total to 14, and lastly auditoriums 3 and 4 were merged in 2008 downgrading to just 13 screens.
The theater went through the names of Malco Twin, Malco Tri-Cinema, Malco Cinema 5, Malco Cinema 6, Malco Cinema 10, Malco Cinema 14, and lastly Malco Cinema 13.
Later known as the Lake Air Cinema I & II when it was twinned in 1980. General Cinema operated the Lake Air Cinema until April 12, 1984, when it was taken over by Plitt Theatres. Cineplex Odeon later took the theater over from Plitt.
The Lake Air Cinema closed for a couple of years in the mid-1990s, but reopened by Cinemagic Theatres in 1997 until closing for the final time in 1999.
Throughout the last four months of 1974, Waco had a boom of twin-screen theaters opening all across the city. The Diamond Point Theatre was the first twin-screen and multi-screen theater to open in all of Waco. The Diamond Point Theatre(s) was first operated by CSW Theatres, and later operated by Plitt. Plitt also operated the Cinema 1 & 2 and Cinema 3 & 4 in the Richland Mall and the Lake Air Cinema 1 & 2.
The Ivy Twin Cinema was the second twin-screen theater to open in Waco, with the first being the Diamond Point Theatre.
The Ivy Twin Cinema was opened by CSW Theatres on October 16, 1974 with “Frankenstein” at Screen 1 and “2001: A Space Odyssey” at Screen 2. It was last operated by Plitt and closed for the final time in 1986.
The Ivy Twin Cinema probably closed its doors around the same time Plitt opened the Waco Square 6 in the southern portion of the city, 4½ miles away.
Found it! The theater was located right at the tip of the Covington and Smith County border on MS-37, surrounding with a small lake in Covington County. A 1980 aerial view shows the theater still attached, but was completely gone by 1996, meaning that the theater may’ve demolished in the 1980s.
I accidentally added another page out of this theater, so I apologized!
Anyway, the address name should be updated to 4379 E State Highway 22, Hillsboro, TX 76645. That’s where the entrance path leads the former theater to.
Wehrenberg Theatres previously operated two other theaters in Prescott, the Marina Theatres and the Plaza West Cine (both twin-screen theaters), which both of them will have its own Cinema Treasures page soon.
Memphis’s Jaxon Drive-In opened its gates on May 30, 1956 with Aldo Ray in “Three Stripes In The Sun” along with four unnamed cartoons.
It was closed in 1970 and demolished in the mid-to-late 1970s to make way for an interchange of Interstate 240 which its former street name of Jackson Avenue became the Austin Peay Highway.
It was once known as Hall’s No. 1 Drive-In in the mid-1950s, after the Hall’s No. 2 Drive-In opened its gates in March 1953 located a mile west of Lexington. It was located a couple of football fields away from another drive-in theater, the Wessinger’s (later Ray’s) No. 1 Drive-In, also in Lexington.
The Richland Mall Theatre was twinned on December 27, 1984, and became a quad on November 9, 1984. It was last operated by Litchfield Theatres and was last known as the “Richland Mall Theatres”. The Richland Mall Theatres closed for the final time on September 7, 1987.
This theater was probably short-lived. A 1965 aerial shows the theater trace but the screen was gone, meaning that the screen was removed sometime in the mid-1960s.
The Circle Drive-In closed either in 1978 or 1979. A September 1980 article from the Waco Citizen says that the former Circle Drive-In was converted into a plumbing supply whole warehouse before it became an insurance office.
Correction: The address for the theater was located on 4501 I-35, Waco, TX 76705. It was a former adjacent to the current Atwoods Ranch & Home store next door. Previously, it was abandoned before the former theater next door was demolished.
Opened on February 26, 1986, same day the Uptown Theatre closed its doors. The Columbia Mall 4 closed in 2000.
Actual closing date is February 26, 1986.
This opened as a twin. A third screen was added in the early 1970s, and two more were added in 1978 bringing a total to five. A sixth screen was added in the early 1980s, and four more by the late 1980s bringing a total to 10 screens. The theater added four more screens in the early-2000s bringing a total to 14, and lastly auditoriums 3 and 4 were merged in 2008 downgrading to just 13 screens.
The theater went through the names of Malco Twin, Malco Tri-Cinema, Malco Cinema 5, Malco Cinema 6, Malco Cinema 10, Malco Cinema 14, and lastly Malco Cinema 13.
It was later operated by Plitt, then Cineplex Odeon, and finally Carmike.
Later known as the Lake Air Cinema I & II when it was twinned in 1980. General Cinema operated the Lake Air Cinema until April 12, 1984, when it was taken over by Plitt Theatres. Cineplex Odeon later took the theater over from Plitt.
The Lake Air Cinema closed for a couple of years in the mid-1990s, but reopened by Cinemagic Theatres in 1997 until closing for the final time in 1999.
Throughout the last four months of 1974, Waco had a boom of twin-screen theaters opening all across the city. The Diamond Point Theatre was the first twin-screen and multi-screen theater to open in all of Waco. The Diamond Point Theatre(s) was first operated by CSW Theatres, and later operated by Plitt. Plitt also operated the Cinema 1 & 2 and Cinema 3 & 4 in the Richland Mall and the Lake Air Cinema 1 & 2.
The Ivy Twin Cinema was the second twin-screen theater to open in Waco, with the first being the Diamond Point Theatre.
The Ivy Twin Cinema was opened by CSW Theatres on October 16, 1974 with “Frankenstein” at Screen 1 and “2001: A Space Odyssey” at Screen 2. It was last operated by Plitt and closed for the final time in 1986.
The Ivy Twin Cinema probably closed its doors around the same time Plitt opened the Waco Square 6 in the southern portion of the city, 4½ miles away.
Neat! Thanks Rivest!
Anytime MichaelKilgore!
Found it! The theater was located right at the tip of the Covington and Smith County border on MS-37, surrounding with a small lake in Covington County. A 1980 aerial view shows the theater still attached, but was completely gone by 1996, meaning that the theater may’ve demolished in the 1980s.
Question: What’s the oldest theater in America to have the “Cinema” name?
I accidentally added another page out of this theater, so I apologized!
Anyway, the address name should be updated to 4379 E State Highway 22, Hillsboro, TX 76645. That’s where the entrance path leads the former theater to.
Either opened in the late-1950s or early-1960s.
Closed on May 12, 2006.
Wehrenberg Theatres previously operated two other theaters in Prescott, the Marina Theatres and the Plaza West Cine (both twin-screen theaters), which both of them will have its own Cinema Treasures page soon.
Opened on November 24, 1971, and closed in October 1992.
Opened on June 7, 1952.
Memphis’s Jaxon Drive-In opened its gates on May 30, 1956 with Aldo Ray in “Three Stripes In The Sun” along with four unnamed cartoons.
It was closed in 1970 and demolished in the mid-to-late 1970s to make way for an interchange of Interstate 240 which its former street name of Jackson Avenue became the Austin Peay Highway.
It was once known as Hall’s No. 1 Drive-In in the mid-1950s, after the Hall’s No. 2 Drive-In opened its gates in March 1953 located a mile west of Lexington. It was located a couple of football fields away from another drive-in theater, the Wessinger’s (later Ray’s) No. 1 Drive-In, also in Lexington.
The Richland Mall Theatre was twinned on December 27, 1984, and became a quad on November 9, 1984. It was last operated by Litchfield Theatres and was last known as the “Richland Mall Theatres”. The Richland Mall Theatres closed for the final time on September 7, 1987.
This theater was probably short-lived. A 1965 aerial shows the theater trace but the screen was gone, meaning that the screen was removed sometime in the mid-1960s.
This appears to be closed in the 1970s. A 1981 aerial shows the theater demolished and replaced by a storage facility that was now known as Kenco Mfg.
First known as the Highway 51 Drive-In. I cannot find the opening date but it opened as early as 1953.