Shop City Drive-In
5900 Summit Avenue,
East St. Louis,
IL
62203
5900 Summit Avenue,
East St. Louis,
IL
62203
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The Shop City Drive-In opened in 1956 by Mid-America Theatres with a car capacity of 600. It was located behind the shopping plaza on Summit Avenue. It closed on September 1, 1980.
Contributed by
Chuck Van Bibber
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Recent comments (view all 7 comments)
The Shop-City Drive-In was open throughout the early part of the 70’s – I saw the ‘Planet of the Apes’ movies there as a kid as well as many memorable (and not so memorable) blackexploitation films!
The Shop City Drive In was open as late as 1979, as an article in BOXOFFICE magazine notes that the kung fu movie THE MASTER KILLS opened there on August 31, 1979.
The Shop City is listed in the 1981 motion picture almanac. It was still operated by Mid-America at that time.
Closing date was Labor Day (September 1), 1980.
So much for the accuracy of the motion picture almanac. :)
At the link below is a recent photo of all that is left of the Shop City shopping center taken from State Street:
View link
For quite a few years after the Shop City Drive In closed, the screen remained, and if I remember correctly, it was towards the rear of the photo, where the trees are. The shopping center was virtually abandoned by the mid 80’s. The last open business I remember being there was a Red Fox Supermarket, but by the early 90’s, it was also closed and demolished, and at some point the drive in screen was either torn down or fell down. I drove down State Street last month, and the Shop City sign in the photo still remains. Near the site of the Shop City Drive In, but not actually on the drive in property, is the new East St Louis High School football stadium
You were right about the location, it was back by the tress. The supermarket you mentioned was originalloy a Tri City Grocery. Like the drive-in all the Tri Cities are gone.