Commerce Drive-In
5174 FM2874,
Commerce,
TX
75428
5174 FM2874,
Commerce,
TX
75428
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A closer address is 5174 FM2874, Commerce, TX.
Google Maps has updated their addresses. This puts it right on the property about where the entrance road used to be.
You can still see the outline, ramps, and foundation of the projection booth/concession stand. What’s left of the screen is a crumpled mess underneath the trees as of June 2022.
http://tinyurl.com/55b2ytxr
The Commerce Drive-In opened its gates on July 29, 1952 with John Lund in “Steel Town” with no extra short subjects featuring original installations of Simplex projectors and a 32x45ft Johns-Manville Flexboard screen covered with a special cement type paint.
The Lilly’s who operated both the Palace and the Commerce Drive-In sold their theaters to Rowley United Theatres in 1965. Rowley then sold both theaters to the Texas Cinema Corporation in 1972.
The Commerce Drive-In closed for the final time on January 2, 1977 with the 1976 version of “King Kong” due to the theater failing to attract a suitable turnout.
This left Commerce without a movie house until Plitt Theatres launched the Cinema 3 almost three years later.
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.
Unless you knew a drive in was ever at this location, you would not know from driving by the location today. The property had been shredded and cleaned up.
The screen wasn’t fully removed. A December 2021 Google Street View shows part of the base is still present under the trees.
It wouldn’t surprise me if it had fallen over given its poor condition and they hauled off the debris while leaving the rest of it in place.
It appears that the screen was removed in late 2013.
The ramps are still there, at least in the latest overhead view from Google Maps. But the screen is gone, either removed or it just disintegrated given how poor a condition it was in.
cant find any trace of the drive-in must have been demolished completely
Billboard, Aug. 16, 1952: “A. W. (Jack) Lilly plans to open a 300-car capacity theater at Commerce, Tex., soon. It will have four program changes each week.”
Billboard, Sept. 6, 1952: “A. W. (Jack) Lilly has opened the new 330-car capacity drive-in at Commerce, Tex.”
If you copy and paste the address to Google or Historic Aerials, make sure you edit the word Country by getting rid of the r. It’s County road, not country :)
I simply try to map to the closest address so that people can find the location on Google. I do not claim that it is the actual address and noted that in my comment.
I have noticed that Google seems to be getting better at addresses and maybe the many theaters that currently have no addresses which makes them difficult to find here can now be located so people using Google maps can find them.
Kenmore – Now that is how the post office messes things up. The drive-in always had a house or building to the east and always faced the old hwy 24. To drive up to the ticket booth you turned off old hwy 24. There was never a connection to CR 4510 unless they connected it sometime after I left Commerce. The post office has the house numbers where I live where mine is 533 and you would think the house across the street would be either 532 or 534 but it is 547. Who would have guess that and if someone was looking for 532 that have to drive almost a block to fine it. Anyway, thanks for the information. I would have never guess it would have the CR 4510 address.
Although not exact, the address 3962 County Road 4510, Commerce, TX is right next door. You can still clearly see the ramps, but the screen is now gone. http://tinyurl.com/zbb2znz
Don Lewis, the map shows the drive-in on hwy 11 north of town. It is located on current FM 2874 just to the west of FM4510.
Silcon Sam — you are at the wrong location for this theater. Commerce Drive-In (High View) is at this location. https://www.google.com/maps/place/FM2874,+Commerce,+TX+75428/Cinerama Dome and ArcLight Cinemas.2486252,-95.9352012,766m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m2!3m1!1s0x864bc6950fdebfcf:0xe3733aee75915355?hl=en
I do not know when this drive-in was opened but I worked there from 1966 – 1971 while attending college in Commerce. It was called Commerce Drive-In all of that time. I do not know when it was renamed to High View. The Lilly family owned it until about 1966-67 when Rowley United Theaters purchased both the drive-in and the Palace Theater from the family. The tower that you see in the picture is one that replaced the original screen when a small tornado / high winds destroyed the screen. This theater was located what at the time was Hwy 24 toward Greenville just past the Hillcrest Addition where I live at that time. My older brother also worked at the Commerce Drive-In as the manager while he was attending college also.
From this Google Maps Shot, the Screen appears to have been torn down.
https://goo.gl/maps/tP7yb
From Commerce a view of the High View Drive-In Theater.
The Screen is the only left of this Drive In. The Snack bar collasped a few years back. The Screen is starting to lean just a bit also! With no attention, This Drive In won’t be able to withstand the outside elements much longer. Sad that there’s no one to rebuild & get it going again..
Interesting fact it opened being called the COMMERCE DRIVE-in according to my Motion picture Almanac.
Here in Texas, it would be called FM2874. Just West of town. Just West of County Rd. 4510
Still barely visible in the shot.
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