Twin Peaks Drive-In

2601 US-90 W,
Alpine, TX 79830

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Twin Peaks Drive-In

Joe Davidson opened the Twin Peaks Drive-In December 20, 1951, as the second drive-in to open in Alpine during the waning days of 1951. Theatre Enterprises, owner of the Granada Theatre, had opened the Lobo Drive-In on November 1. The Twin Peaks Drive-In was described as being west of town, past the Southern Pacific underpass, while the Lobo Drive-In was east of town.

According to the Alpine Avalanche, the Twin Peaks Drive-In brush with fame came on June 12, 1955, with a visit by Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson. Alpine is 27 Miles from Marfa where the film “Giant” had been filming during that summer. Joe Davidson said the couple drove in about 9pm and asked for assistance in parking since they said they had never been to a drive-in before (perhaps James Dean was hiding in the trunk).

In April 1957 a longer marquee and an extra ramp was added, bringing capacity from 225 to a total of 300 cars.

Mr. Davidson bought the closed Lobo Drive-In and Granada Theatre in January 1966 but the Twin Peaks Drive-In probably remained around until 1978.

Contributed by Ron Pierce

Recent comments (view all 3 comments)

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on November 13, 2019 at 6:38 pm

Billboard, July 17, 1954: “About 1100 feet of pipe was laid by the Twin Peak Drive-In, Alpine, Tex., to pipe water from nearby well. Previously the water was hauled in.”

Kenmore
Kenmore on August 2, 2023 at 9:53 am

A 1984 aerial shows the drive-in intact, but the screen appears to be damaged.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on August 2, 2023 at 4:17 pm

More info about the Twin Peaks' owner in the Feb. 21, 1966 issue of Boxoffice, on the occasion of his purchase (and closure) of the competing Lobo Drive-In. “Joe T. Davidson … had been in the general contracting business for 25 years in Detroit before moving to Texas in 1947, when he started building drive-in theatres. In 1951 he moved to Alpine and built the Twin Peaks Drive-In and has been operating it ever since.”

A later note recorded that Davidson, an Ohio native, died at the age of 75 on Dec. 21, 1970.

The Twin Peaks advertised in Alpine’s Sul Ross State University’s Skyline through at least the fall of 1978.

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