Cypress Drive-In

Thanks for posting them Dick. I never would have thought to look on ebay for these but I’m glad you did!

I think Mike’s question is for both of us. He’s posted many ads on his photo page and is wondering if they should be posted on the individual theatre pages instead, right Mike? I think either way is fine. But if a theatre page doesn’t have any photos at all then I would certainly post the ad on that specific page.

I have been putting more of the ads on my Photo page than Theatres,Is that Right?

Thanks to whoever posted this nice vintage program!

Nice view NYozoner! I remember driving by the lot & seeing the screen tower many times after the drive-in had been closed. But seeing the lot from road level apparently obscured the figure “8” roadway in the center as I don’t recall seeing this before. Looks like a racetrack. Cypress Drive-In capacity was 270.

Also, if you scroll upwards slightly you’ll see a huge parking lot on the left and a cluster of 4 buildings towards the front. The first builing at the bottom is the brand new Loew’s Theatre recently just opened in December of 1968. It was later renamed Austin Cinema.

4500 W Cypress St, Tampa, FL 33607

The above address will map accurately to the location of the drive-in, which is currently occupied by Doubletree Hotel Tampa Westshore Airport.

Here is a 1969 aerial photo of the drive-in, which had already been closed for several years. The screen tower facing west is clearly visible, as is its shadow. It appears to have been a very small drive-in.

I never had a chance to visit the Cypress Drive-In as it had closed before my movie-going days had begun. I remember seeing the cinder block screen still standing in the empty lot up until sometime towards the mid-1960s. The drive-in was located near Cypress and Westshore but not near the corner. If you were traveling south on Westshore (say you were coming from Boy Scott Blvd) you would turn left onto Cypress Street, go down one block and the drive-in was on the right. Today Thomas Jefferson High School sits directly across the street from the former drive-in lot.

The Doubletree Hotel (formerly Holiday-Inn) occupies the site. A large clump of tall trees sits between the hotel parking lot and Charley’s Steak House restaurant next door. These are the same trees that were on the property when the drive-in was open. The screen sat directly in front of these trees and faced west (towards Westshore Blvd.) The screen was demolished and the lot cleared when construction of the hotel began in the early 1970s.

Thanks again Mike.

Any Photos?

I added a few of those recently.

All of those theaters closed around 2001, plus or minus a few years.

Horizon Park was a men’s clothing store for awhile. I think that closed.

Twin Bays was demolished and a Lowe’s is on the site.

Mission Bell was demolished and I think a Home Depot is there now.

I held off on adding the Varsity until I got a picture, but it’s still there, just abandoned. That whole plaza is a flea market.