West Side Drive-In
Brookpark Road and Rocky River Drive,
Cleveland,
OH
44135
Brookpark Road and Rocky River Drive,
Cleveland,
OH
44135
4 people
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Boxoffice, May 4, 1940: “Cleveland - Phil Smith of Boston has been arranging for the opening of the new West Side Drive-In on or about May 10.”
Opened on 3/7/1940 with “It’s a date”. Closed in 1955. Site is now near runway 28.
July 4th, 1940 grand opening ad uploaded in the photo section
Detroit’s Westside Drive-In had an identical tower: http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/11103
wow..you folks know heaps bout these old theatres . Man i thought i was knowledgeable on the subject .
Uploaded 1952 aerial map. The drive-in was gone in 1962. Also, the design of the screen tower must have been a common one. I have see other screen towers in Ohio that were built just like it.
Before the airport expansion, the drive-in would have been 2 blocks south of Hwy 237 SB on-ramp. Rocky River Dr. extended further south when this was open.
this opened on July 4th, 1940. ad: View link
The drive-in can be seen in this 1952 aerial view, but it was gone by 1970.
http://tinyurl.com/yg46cs3
My parents used to take me to this drive-in when I was a young boy. I remember that there was a playground in front of the screen and they had pony rides before the show started.
I seem to remember that the place closed in 1959 to make way for airport expansion. I don’t think it could have still be open in 1975 as mentioned above. Maybe someone can confirm the exact close date.
The June 19, 1948 issue of Boxoffice magazine had a story about the growing presence of drive-ins in the Cleveland area. At that time there were about 50, which was worrying the indoor theater owners. The West Side was one of the drive-ins on the list. Owner at that time was Phil Smith.