Memri Drive-In
107 Tenth Avenue West,
Milan,
IL
61264
107 Tenth Avenue West,
Milan,
IL
61264
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The Memri Drive-In opened in 1948, the first drive-in theater to open in the Quad-Cities region, with the film "Abilene Town". It could accomodate 600 cars and was situated between Routes 67 and 92. In the early-1970’s, the capacity of the drive-in’s parking was greatly reduced when Showcase Cinemas Theatre was built on a part of the site.
The Memri Drive-In continued to operate until the end of summer 1986, with its last double feature being “Aliens” and “Big Trouble in Little China”. The Memri Drive-In was demolished afterward to make way for more parking for the adjacent Showcase Cinemas Theatre, which eventually was expanded to eleven screens, though closed due to competition from even larger nearby multiplexes in 2002.
Contributed by
Bryan Krefft
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Recent comments (view all 8 comments)
A night view of the Memri’s screentower can be seen in this early 1950s postcard view.
Shouldn’t the address for the Drive-In be 107 Tenth Ave. W, The Showcase Cinemas was built on the site of the drive-in and the address listed for the Cinemas was 107. 100 would put it on the oposite side of the street.
Here is an updated link for the early 1950s postcard view.
Owner in 1963 was Barney Brotman.
Who owned it in 1975?
I had the pleasure of managing it that final summer of 1986. We kept it open through a weekend of flooding. The structure holding the screen up was a haven for pigeons and spiders that still gives me nightmares. Big Trouble in Little China is still a youthful favorite of mine.
It held 750 cars in 1956 and was owned at that time by Barney Brotman.
1970 aerial has been posted of the drive-in and the Showcase Cinemas.