Lakeview Drive-In
6398 US-27,
Somerset,
KY
42501
6398 US-27,
Somerset,
KY
42501
3 people
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I just found that the Lakeview closed for the final time in July 1986 and was demolished a month later on August 18, 1986 according to the Commonwealth.
A 1955 topo map designates the Cumberland River as “Lake Cumberland” near Burnside, which addresses one question I had as to why someone would name it “Lakeview” and not “Riverview”.
However, the 1956 aerial shows 15 rows with 18 to 20 speaker poles per row. That’s 300 vehicles maximum capacity, not 520 as claimed in the Commonwealth.
Of course, I’ve run across several capacity claims made by drive-in owners that in no way matched what the property actually held. So, this is not surprising.
If you really want to nail down the exact date of a HistoricAerials photo, you can often find the original photo at https://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/, which will include that date. But Historic Aerials is sooo much more convenient!
Just saying, I’ve documented drive-ins that were built in six weeks. That required good weather and an experienced builder. Most early-1950s drive-ins builders didn’t have much experience, so in a word, yaneverknow.
I think a “fast construction” is possible if the Lakeview was originally what is now termed a “temporary” drive-in. It’s something that would not be normally be advertised or reported as such, so there may be no indication that it was of that nature in the records. Only a photo would reveal that information.
Given that the 1956 aerial shows evidence of work around the screen, along the fence that sat on either side of the screen, and the back of the drive-in, I’d say it’s possible that it originally was “temporary” or perhaps quite spartan which allowed for a relatively quick construction.
That would be possible if the Lakeview was built as a quick construction. A very fast construction of a drive-in can be a pretty hard discovery. The Lakeview’s expansion and updates could be definitely true because the Lakeview at the time received a newer 44x92ft CinemaScope screen during the 1955 season, meaning that the original screen was used for only around four years. The Lakeview’s first CinemaScope film after installation was Spencer Tracy in “Broken Lance” with no extra short subjects on June 1, 1955 and was the first drive-in there to install CinemaScope. Previously, CinemaScope was introduced in Somerset and installed at the Kentucky Theatre a year prior in 1954.
Wouldn’t it be more possible that the drive-in was quickly constructed and then improved over the next few years? The 1956 aerial certainly looks like some recent work had been made for expansion and perhaps a new screen. Perhaps its original incarnation was a temporary drive-in that was common at the time?
The screen in the 1956 aerial looks to be unchanged throughout the rest of the life of the drive-in. Since the widescreen seems to have been put in before the 1956 aerial, that would be a good excuse to “complete” or remodel the rest of the drive-in. Admittedly, it would greatly help to see the drive-in in its first year of operation.
I’m not saying it’s true, but given that aerials are normally stamped with the year they were taken, it makes it difficult to believe that it would be 1950. And with leaves on the trees, that seems to rule out January or February and even March depending on when spring arrived.
Kenmore, the reason why I first thought the aerial has to be a year earlier is because drive-ins take nearly an estimate of five to six months for completion for the most part. I thought the picture might’ve been taken either in Late 1950 or perhaps the early first quarter of 1951. If the aerial has to be from 1951 then it has to be very early 1951 like January. Construction of the theater probably began in either February or March, depending if I can find the article. It’s just a thought that Historic Aerials might’ve taken the area just weeks before construction.
50sSNIPES - On what basis do you say that the aerial listed as 1951 was taken a year earlier? Aerial photos are stamped to the year they were taken.
I know what your other information states, but unless the aerial photo can be shown to be taken the year before, then it was taken in 1951.
That does not contradict this location being the drive-in. It simply means that the drive-in might’ve been a quick construction or perhaps completed enough to allow for a grand opening.
I’ve seen plenty of buildings in which the “grand opening” was weeks, if not months before they were fully operational. Especially since it looks in the 1956 aerial as practically brand new with scraped ground around the screen and on the east end as if it had just been built.
So the Family Drive-In probably opened at the beginning of the 1951 season, judging from the 1950 (listed as 1951 as an error) aerial view. You might probably have a better page than me so I’ll give you credit on that because I made a mistake on the page I made.
Yep, the Lakeview and the Family were two different Drive-Ins that opened during the same year.
If anyone knew where the Family Drive-In was located, the Family was located on 409 South Highway 27, Somerset, KY 42501, where a Hardees was now at its site. To me, it probably had a similar capacity number to the Lakeview. And yes, it looks like that it was demolished a few years after closure judging from a 1972 aerial.
Looking at the map, that Burnside location is a much better fit for a drive-in named Lakeview. The entrance was maybe 40 or 50 yards away from the Cumberland River.
Boxoffice, Oct. 15, 1973: “Phil Borack, Tri-State, president, offered a $100 prize for the best promotional collection in the B&R Theatres' drive-ins and hardtops for the annual Will Rogers Hospital drive. Winners were Ben Johnson, manager of Lakeview Drive-In, Burnside, Ky., and Ken Neal, Russell Theatre manager, Maysville, Ky.”
When the Lakeview opened, the front-page note in the Commonwealth said it had a 520-car capacity, and it was near Burnside. Aerial photos from 1956 showed a smaller drive-in just northwest of Burnside at the modern-day corner of Ben Way Drive and US 27. (The 1951 photo showed the field under construction.) A sample address would be 84 Ben Way Dr, Somerset, KY 42501.
The Family’s ad in the June 27, 1951 Commonwealth, a few pages away from the Lakeview ad, said that it was on “Highway 27, Truck Route”. I would guess that the drive-in that was closer to Somerset was the Family.
Anytime! And I just found where the Family Drive-In is located. It will be on Cinema Treasures soon.
What an extra-cool resource! Thanks for sharing, 50sSnipes! My first quick search for the Family showed that it advertised in Somerset’s Commonwealth newspaper on April 30, 1952. I’ll keep digging there.
Meanwhile, here’s the link to the Pulaski County Library’s collection of Somerset newspapers online.
The aerial might be taken shortly before construction in 1950. I found when the Lakeview opened its gates from the PulaskiLibrary website. According to what I just find, it opened as Lakeview and has been Lakeview until the end. I’m gonna look up the info for the Family soon. If you look through the June 13, 1951 edition of the Commissioner of Somerset, there was an article saying that the 520-capacity Lakeview Drive-In held its grand opening day on June 7 and was first managed by Mrs. Joe Waters.
A 1951 aerial shows nothing at the location. Now, it’s impossible to tell exactly when the aerial was taken, but there are leaves on the trees so it had to be at least spring.
If this opened in June of 1951, it has to be one of the fastest constructions on record.
Once again, I’d love to know 50sSnipes' source. When I went digging, all I found for Somerset was more Family Drive-In.
Boxoffice, Aug. 8, 1953: “Somerset, Ky. - Ben W. Johnson of Ashland purchased the Family Drive-In from Raymond L. Edwards.”
Boxoffice, April 23, 1962: “TOC is booking and buying for the Family Drive-In at Somerset, Ky., owned by Ben Johnson”
Boxoffice, Jan. 16, 1967: “The Family Drive-In, Somerset, Ky., has been sold by owner Ben Johnson to the supermarket next door.”
The Lakeview Drive-In opened on June 7, 1951, and closed at the end of the 1986 season. It was demolished a few years later.
6398 US-27, Somerset, KY 42501 will put you at the entrance to this Drive-In. There is a road there now called Ben Way Drive that goes right through the middle of the property. The 5891 address puts you by the current location of the 27 Twin, not the Lakeview.
Was this the Family Drive-In? That’s the only one listed for Somerset in the 1952 Theatre Catalog and the IMPAs from at least 1959 through at least 1976.
The address for this drive in was 5891 US-27, Somerset, KY 42501. This just south of the 27 Twin Drive-in that’s still open. Best Buy Auto Sales is located where the entrance was located.
Please update.