De Anza Drive-In
1401 S. Alvernon Way,
Tucson,
AZ
85711
1401 S. Alvernon Way,
Tucson,
AZ
85711
2 people
favorited this theater
The Cactus Drive-In opened March 24, 1951 with a capacity for 600 cars. The single screen Cactus Drive-In closed October 27, 1976.
In 1977 the drive-in re-opened as the De Anza Drive-In with three screens. A year later a fourth screen was added. Car capacity is still listed as 600.
The De Anza Drive-In was closed on October 3, 2009, and was soon demolished.
Contributed by
Lost Memory
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Recent comments (view all 16 comments)
What’s cute?
I posted the story, but then it changed screens to say I had to log in to return. Does it show the story when you click on the link?
The article loads fine. That story is seven months old. This drive-in is currently open and the function should be first run movies. Hopefully this drive-in remains open.
Here is a photo of Ewart Edwards, who managed the De Anza and several other theaters in the Tucson area. The photo was in a retrospective in the AZ Daily Star in October 2006, shortly after Mr. Edwards passed away.
http://tinyurl.com/9kakkh
The three-screen De Anza Drive-In was designed by Charles Cox & Associates, according to an article in the February 14, 1977, issue of Boxoffice.
The De Anza closed after the last show on October 3, 2009. Here is a brief story and a video about the closing.
Status should be Closed/Demolished: http://www.kold.com/Global/story.asp?S=12675433
Two individuals in Tucson are attempting to build a sort of recreation of this theater, using screen parts salvaged from the site. The plan to give the new theater the De Anza’s original name, the Cactus. The project has a website and it has this page on it which relates some history of the Cactus/De Anza: http://www.cactusdriveintheater.com/history.html
Grand opening ad from February 1st, 1977 ad De Anza is at
View link
Old Drive in customer found, couldn’t find the exit:
http://azstarnet.com/news/local/crime/remains-found-at-old-tucson-drive-in-were-homicide-victim/article_3506dfb8-c574-11e1-a93a-0019bb2963f4.html