Sky-Hi Drive-In
800 S. Highway 53,
Addison,
IL
60101
800 S. Highway 53,
Addison,
IL
60101
7 people
favorited this theater
Showing all 20 comments
The original Sky High Drive in was at route 83 and Roosevelt Rd in Oakbrook. It was moved to the addison location which was origanaly Mitchell Field a small private airport
I doubt it.
Did they have Radio sound in 1968?
I was concession manager from 1972 to 1982 at the four theaters. We called the Addison location Sky-Hi, Palatine location The Twin. Week end days there was a flea market held on the grounds. Cleaning crew would be finishing when concession stand crew would be starting at 4 PM. Summer would find us leaving at 2AM. I have many fond memories working with M&R, Concession Services and the many high school students.
Jane, according to the Historic Aerials link above on 12/6/08, the land the drive-in was still a vacant lot in the 1961 view….
My dad built the Dundale in Dundee and both Ski-Hi theaters. He managed the original Ski-Hi and the Dundale until the late 60’s when M&R took over management. Unfortunately my dad died in July of 1968 at the age of 46, the summer Ski-Hi opened. He loved those theaters.
His name was Bob Jelinek.
The 53 Theater was in Palatine.
Mike it held 2100 cars as posted above.Pretty big.
Jane ,going by my 1956 Motion Picture Almanac there was no Drive-ins in Addison that year.
I’m confused about something. I was born in 1953 and my parents used to go to the “53 Drive-In” up in Addison with me bundled up in the backseat with my pillow and blanket, while they watched a double or even triple-header movie night. It was this same location, but according to some posts, this opened in 1968. How can this be – can anybody enlighten me? I remember that it had a little kiddie amusement area up under the East screen, with swings, slides, etc. These were gone by the 1968 time frame.
Photos at:
View link
Was a great Drive In. Stop at White Castle on the way in. Get there early, pop your hood and show off your ride. Everybody used to tune their FM radios to the same station before the movie.
Never any problems there as the Addison Police cruised the theater. At least one pass down every row each night.
Car capacity given in 1975 was 2,100.
Here is part of a 6/30/68 article from the Daily Herald:
Addison’s newest outdoor theater, the Ski-Hi Drive-in on Rt. 53 two blocks north of North Avenue, opened Friday. The theater lot accommodates 2,200 cars on 25 blacktopped acres in a complex that cost more than $1 5 million. It is the only blacktopped theater in the Chicago metropolitan area.
The theater will show two completely independent programs on each screen every week The self-service refreshment stand is air-conditioned Built by the L Robert Jelmek family, the theater will be managed by the M & R Corp , as is the Jehnek’s Dundale Theater in Dundee. The Jelmek family pioneered in the drive-in theater business when they built the original Ski Hi Drive-In theater in Elmhurst 20 years ago. The original theater was taken by the state for highway purposes.
Here’s an aerial shot from 1974
I uploaded the grand opening ad at http://www.drive-ins.com/theater/iltskyd
This is the drive-in my parents took us to when we were younger, back when I thought Lombard was a nice place to live, before the current administration which just decided to knock down the DuPage Theatre. It’s too bad that greed takes over and places like the Sky-Hi, 53 and DuPage Theatre go the way of the Edsel…
I remember going there with a date in my late teens. We were the only ones there and it started to snow…
What was the movie? Who knows…
I have fond memories of the Sky-Hi, my parents uses to take me there and I would look out the back of the station wagon and watch the horror movies that were playing on the other screen. It’s too bad that most of the drive-in’s in the area have been torn down for “progress” The home improvement store closed down and most of the other business have left just to leave a mostly vacant lot.
The address for the Sky Hi Drive-In Theatre is 800 South Highway 53, Addison, Il.
We used to call this “53 Drive In”, I saw Gremlins and Ghostbusters there on the same eveing.