Terrace Drive-In

451 Alemany Boulevard,
San Francisco, CA 94112

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Additional Info

Previously operated by: Robert L. Lippert Theatres Inc.

Architects: Gale Santocono

Nearby Theaters

Terrace Drive-In

The Terrace Drive-In was opened May 29, 1951 and was the first drive-in to open in San Francisco. It was operated by Robert L. Lippert Theatres Inc. It was a short lived venture as it had been closed and demolished by 1956.

Contributed by Robert Burns

Recent comments (view all 6 comments)

Drive-In 54
Drive-In 54 on July 23, 2017 at 3:02 pm

So when did it open?

Kenmore
Kenmore on July 23, 2017 at 3:37 pm

According to one source I found, the Terrace Drive-In was open in 1951. A 1946 aerial photo shows no drive-in on the property, so it must have been built between those two years.

However, it did not last very long as a 1956 aerial photo shows it to be demolished. A victim apparently of the construction of HWY 280 and HWY 101 which cut off its entrance road.

Today, housing takes up most of the property, although there is a small corner where the screen once sat that is still open.

Drive-In 54
Drive-In 54 on July 23, 2017 at 5:20 pm

I knew that in 1951..Hope we can get date that it opened.

rivest266
rivest266 on August 6, 2018 at 11:32 am

This opened on May 29th, 1951. Grand opening ad in the photo section.

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on December 16, 2019 at 2:19 pm

Boxoffice, June 9, 1951: “Robert L. Lippert’s new Terrace Drive-In, which opened here (in San Francisco) recently, is an unusual theatre installation. Instead of scooping out the earth to provide the customary flat surface, designer Gale Santocono tailored a drive-in to fit San Francisco’s hilly contour. The parking area resembles an amphitheatre.”

MichaelKilgore
MichaelKilgore on December 23, 2019 at 12:20 pm

On Feb. 2, 1952, Boxoffice ran a two-page spread on the Terrace with plenty of photos, mostly illustrating how the drive-in used a San Francisco hillside in its construction.

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