Port Drive-In
2060 W. Austin Street,
Port Lavaca,
TX
77979
2060 W. Austin Street,
Port Lavaca,
TX
77979
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The 300-car capacity Port Drive-In was opened by 1954 when it was operated by Long Theaters of Dallas. I found an old advertisement for this drive-in. A second screen was added in September 1955 and the car capacity was increased to 850. January 13, 1975 was apparently Western Night, as the advertisement listed Henry Fonda’s "My Name is Nobody" and Clint Eastwood’s "Joe Kidd" as that evening’s program. It was closed in September 1975.
Contributed by
Bob Machann
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
Around 2060 W. Austin St was a twin drive in. You can see the scars behind the blue roofed building. All I could find for a drive-in in Port Lavaca.
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Open ~1955-~1975 approximate? Can anyone veify the exact dates?
Open for sure in 1967.
Owned by Long theaters.
Need a for sure address, more info and photos.
2060 W Austin St
Port Lavaca, TX 77979
The above address will map accurately to the location of the drive-in. It is clearly visible on Google Earth using historical imagery from 1990, although it appears to have already been long closed by then.
The Port Drive-In frequently advertised in the Victoria Advocate newspaper. The last ad I found for it was dated September 23, 1975. Would this have been the closing date? If so, the Port’s closure would have been a one-two punch for area moviegoers with the loss of the El Rancho Theatre in Victoria just a few days prior.
only the ramps remain everything else is gone shoould be listed as demolished please update!
This didn’t go as quickly as planned, but here’s the first announcement in Billboard on July 10, 1954: “Arthur Meiling, city manager of Long Theaters, Port Lavaca, Tex., has announced that the Port Drive-In there will be converted into a 1,600-car twin-screen drive-in. The project is expected to be completed by September 1 and will cost around $70,000.”
Almost a year later, the June 25, 1955 issue of Billboard noted: “The Port Lavaca Drive-In Theater at Port Lavaca, Tex., is being converted into a twin screen operation by the owner and operator, J. G. Long.”
The aerial photo here at CT is clearly a twin, so it deserves credit for two screens.
Boxoffice, Sept. 10, 1955: “Port Lavaca, Tex. - The new 850-car drive-in under construction here was expected to be ready for opening early this month. The ozoner will have twin screens and a dual-operation concession building. The screens will be curved and will measure about 50x80 feet. The concession building is 80 feet long and 40 feet wide.”