Ellis Drive-In
2225 Hessler Boulevard,
New Castle,
Wilmington,
DE
19720
2225 Hessler Boulevard,
New Castle,
Wilmington,
DE
19720
2 people
favorited this theater
Located on DuPont Highway (Highway 13) in the New Castle district of Wilmington. The Brandywine Drive-In opened on July 15, 1949. It had a capacity for 550 cars. There was a childrens playground beneath the screen tower.
Contributed by
Ken Roe
Want to be emailed when a new comment is posted about this theater?
Just login to your account and subscribe to this theater
Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
Saw a Kerry Drive-in in 1956 here.Wonder if the Brandywine had closed?
According to this site:
http://www.driveins.org/de-wilmington-ellis.html
This drive-in operated as the Brandywine Drive-In from 1949-1955, and then was renamed the Ellis Drive-In after Philadelphia-based Ellis Theatres assumed operation, and went by Ellis Drive-In until closing in 1965.
Depending on your outlook, the heading should read either;
Ellis Drive-in, AKA Brandywine Drive-In,
or
Brandywine Drive-In, AKA Ellis Drive-In.
My preference is the former, since it went by Ellis Drive-In more recently, and for more year than Brandywine Drive-In, not that it makes very much difference either way.
U.S. 13 & Hessler Blvd, New Castle, DE 19720
The above address will map accurately to the location of the drive-in, which was on the west side of US 13, and north of Hessler Blvd.
Here is a 1954 aerial photo of the drive-in, courtesy of HistoricAerials.com:
View link
In the 1954 photo, what is next door? It looks like a race track of some kind. Thanks.
Ellis did not close in 1965. Not sure when exactly however I was still going there in 1967 while on boot camp leave. The item in the rear of pic is indeed a race track. Wilm Motor Speedway. Stock cars and other events (went to a rodeo there in 1950s) Next to Ellis was an amusement park called Kiddie Town. It closed in late 50s or very early 60s. Buck a car night, and towards the end all night shows were big deal. Sound system (pole speakers) were worst in Delaware but “privacy” factor over rode the need for clear sound.:–)
Approx. address for this drive-in was 4015 North Dupont Highway. the entrance itself was SOUTH of Hessler when the drive-in was open. Hessler was reconfigured to its present location. The drive-in was NW of present intersection.
Originally called Brandywine Drive-In. Opened 1949. The Ellis DI was the first to be opened in the Wilmington DE area. It was originally called the Brandywine Drive-In, and it was located a mile south of the city on the Du Pont Highway (Rt. 13). Opening day was July 13, 1949, with “The Adventures of Robin Hood” as the opening attraction. Projection and sound were RCA Motiograph, and the lot could hold 1,100 cars, plus seating for 250 people on foot. The marquee was 68-foot-tall, one of the largest in the state. It had a burgundy-and-white background in neon with the word “Brandywine” in magenta script, and “Drive-In” in white Egyptian block letters. In February 1955, the theater was sold to the Ellis Theater Company of Philadelphia for $85,000. Ellis proceeded to change more than the theater’s name. The screen was enlarged for Cinemascope (100 feet by 40 feet), the lot was nearly doubled in size, and in-car heaters were installed at this time.