Wales Drive-In
1920 Old Bartow Road,
Lake Wales,
FL
33853
1920 Old Bartow Road,
Lake Wales,
FL
33853
2 people
favorited this theater
Opened on May 29, 1952 with Gene Autry in “Texans Never Cry” & Mahmoud Zulfikar in “Birds of Paradise”. The Wales Drive-In was located west of town on the original alignment of Highway 60. Years later, 60 was realigned slightly south of the old road–a distance of just a few hundred yards–and the original alignment became Old Bartow Road. Interestingly, the theatre bought the land directly across the street and extended their driveway over Old 60 to New 60, where a new marquee was constructed. By 1957 it was operated by the Talgar Theatre Company.
It was renoveated in February 1970 after being taken over by Floyd Theaters. The theatre was closed on August 16, 1983 with Betty Vergas in “The Fruit is Ripe”(aka Coming of Age). The screen was demolished on August 25, 1983, though it appears that they left the pile of cinderblocks in place. The concession stand/projection booth stands in the back of the lot with a new fenced-in enclosure right in front of it. The driveways and marquee still remain, as do most of the ramps.
Contributed by
Andy
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Recent comments (view all 9 comments)
Here are some pictures I took in July 2010.
Here are somebody else’s pictures from February 2004.
Opened in 1955?
At one time it was operated by Floyd Theaters of Haines City, Florida, Carl Floyd, President. He had around 40 theaters, all in Florida.
I saw the drive-in listed as being on E Central Ave? Wish we had an exact address or crossroads so I could see the remains from the air on the Google Map.
Anyone have more info or photos of the drive-in when it was open?
This will get you there….
1920 Old Bartow Rd, Lake Wales, FL 33853 United States
View link
Video from 1996: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lp1TpRizrdo
Here is the You Tube Video from FloridaDriveIns
From the Google Earth historical aerials view, it looks like nearly all elements of this theatre remained in tact similar to the 1996 video until as late as early 2005.
It Is Demolished In August 1983.
Opened on May 29, 1952 with “Texans Never Cry” and “Birds Of Paradise”. It was closed on August 16, 1983 with “Coming Of Age” as its last film, and the screen was demolished 9 days later on August 25, 1983.
Boxoffice, Feb. 16, 1970: “LAKE WALES, FLA. - A 350-car drive-in west of town, closed for several years, is being renovated for a spring opening by Floyd Enterprises, which purchased the property from Talgar Theatres. Named the Wales when it was last in operation, the airer is being resurfaced, a new snack bar and restrooms facilities installed and the screen widened to accommodate a 70x35-foot picture. Completely new equipment is being installed in the projection booth.”
Boxoffice, April 27, 1970: “LAKE WALES, FLA. - The long-shuttered Wales Drive-In, one mile from town off Highway 60, has been rebuilt and reopened by Floyd Enterprises. Featuring a spacious concessions building, the Wales now has capacity for 375 cars in front of its new 35x70-foot screen.”