San Pedro Outdoor Theatre
600 Bitters Road,
San Antonio,
TX
78216
600 Bitters Road,
San Antonio,
TX
78216
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The San Pedro Outdoor was the finest drive-in theatre ever in San Antonio. The original San Pedro opened in 1948 as a single screen at San Pedro and Rampart near what is now North Star Mall. It was closed and razed in 1965 and the San Pedro Twin Outdoor was built at San Pedro and Bitters Road. A third screen was added in 1970.
The east screen measured 60x120 and the west and south were 55x110. In 1980 the east screen and the south screen were split and two new screens added to make it a five screen complex.
I worked at the San Pedro Outdoor Theatre for the last four years of it’s existance and closed it on August 15, 1984. A large retail center was built on the 48 acre site, anas well as a 14 screen indoor theatre (the Embassy).
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Recent comments (view all 4 comments)
This was a pleasant drive-in to go to. No rowdy people just a good time. I remember walking to the concession stand and my feet would sink into the little stones and rocks they had all over the lot. The last movie I saw there was Friday the 13th IV in 1984. Towards the end of it’s existence they would show porno which I didn’t know @ the time was a sign of struggling times.
This is part of an article in the San Antonio Express, dated 4/6/48:
The new San Pedro Outdoor Theater at San Pedro Ave., near Military Drive will open for the first time Tuesday night with the first of two features beginning at 7:20 p.m. The theater was under construction for eight months. A 22-acre plot assures ample parking space for patrons who desire to see their movies from the comfort and privacy of a car. The theater enclosure covers 12 acres.
The screen tower is 66 feet high and pictures flashed on the screen will measure 49 feet by 37 feet, said to be the largest in the Southwest. “Entrances and exits will take care of a continuous flow of traffic,” John Wolf, president, said, “and ample parking facilities will prevent traffic jams.” The new drive-in theater is equipped with the latest individual in-a-car speakers and can be adjusted to give the volume desired. The refreshment booth, rest rooms and drinking fountains are in the center of the theater area. Baby bottle warmers will be provided. There will be two evening shows starting at 7:20 p.m. and a midnight show on Saturdays starting at 11:45 p.m.
The 1980 IMPA gives the car capacity as 1,050. Operator was Santikos.
Here is a December 1972 ad from the San Antonio Express:
http://tinyurl.com/mdd899