A 1950 aerial shows the drive-in still under construction, although it is nearly complete.
A 1958 aerial is more interesting because it shows a playground having been installed in front of the screen, something that was not there in a 1956 aerial. It’s all still there a year later.
So, a good question was when did the drive-in close during the 1950s, only to re-open in 1960. I guess it depends on what the phrase “closed for some time” means.
Because it makes little sense to build a playground if the drive-in was closed. But if it was still open in 1957/58 when it was built, then “closed for some time” would only mean a year or two.
By 1973 the drive-in had been demolished with a building located where the screen used to be.
The drive-in shows up well in a 1975 aerial. It was not much as all that is present are ramps, a fence, the screen, and a projection booth that looks too small to hold a proper snack bar and bathrooms.
By 1981, the fence was gone. It wouldn’t surprise me if it had closed by this time. The grass had grown over the ramps.
By 1991, it had been totally demolished with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
A slightly closer address is 194944 US-271, Antlers, OK.
This puts it right where the entrance roads use to be. Upon closer examination, there appears to be faint parch marks of a few of the ramps located behind the house.
I found the Hatch Drive-In. And while its setup is a little unusual, the screen and projection booth stuck out like a sore thumb. No matter the shape of the ramps or if there are no ramps, there should be a line and a box that signifies a screen and projection booth respectively.
If the information is correct, then the October, 1949 aerial would show Star-Lite with a standing screen and most likely be located on the edge of town where it has room to add more ramps. The difficulty with rebuilding suggests farmland that holds water close to the surface (like where I live).
The 1949 aerial on NETR is probably the same as EarthExplorer, which means that a drive-in should be visible, but I do not see anything resembling a screen at all, let alone one with a projection booth anywhere in or around the town.
That’s not to say it isn’t there. But what I can say is the 918 6th Street address has no screen, no projection booth, and no ramps, tracks, or any indication that cars have been parked on it recently. Apart from that, it sorta fits the general description in terms of size and location. But then again, so do a lot of areas around the town.
All I can say is that the 918 6th Street address is really problematic to be a drive-in. Aerial photos are time and date stamped and I’ve yet to run into one that has been proven to be wrong.
If I accept the 1949 aerial as fact, then that’s not the location of any drive-in that opened on March 26th of that year. Even if I assume the photo was taken in January, there is no evidence of any screen, booth, or construction which had to be there.
And in all likelihood, the aerial photo was taken after March 26th. Which means we would see the drive-in which was apparently still standing in July of the following year. And would certainly still be there in October of 1950, but according to your description it was not.
So, that’s not it. Unless it was the fastest construction and demolition job ever of which there is no evidence of that since the property became an auto salvage yard. Which means no need to demolish anything.
I may stand corrected. The 1972 aerial shows the screen, projection booth, and fence gone. No question it was demolished.
However, a 1974 aerial shows the fence and projection booth rebuilt. Although I do not see any evidence of a screen. A 1984 aerial also does not show evidence of a screen.
It’s possible a screen was set up after 1974 and torn down by 1984. Perhaps it was positioned against the back wall of the diner.
Whatever the case, the drive-in was demolished again by 1993 and today there is no trace of it remaining.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right next to where the drive-in was located, which is the property just to the east of the address.
Today, it is a private residence with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
A 1968 aerial shows that Drive-In Road was the original entrance road to the drive-in which connected to Denman Road. At that time, Denman Road connected to the highway, but now is cut off. The current address of the property itself is 200 Stoney Point Road.
The drive-in was totally demolished by 1993. By 2005 it had become a golf driving range. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining save for the aforementioned entrance road which is now Drive-In Road.
Its life as a flea market after closing in 1976 seems short-lived. While it looks like a flea market in 1981, by 1986 the property was empty with only the projection booth remaining.
After that, the property quickly became overgrown with trees which lasted until at least 2021.
Afterward, the entire property was razed and a housing edition is being constructed.
Today, the property seems to be part of the Les Schwab Tire Center. It is used for parking and to hold dozens of old tires. However, most of the property is still open and you can seen hints of the ramps along with the foundation of the projection booth/concession stand.
The original entrance road connected to Main Street just NE of what is now the Burney Bowl. That section of the entrance road still exists today.
It may not have lasted five years. A 1951 aerial shows nothing, although it could’ve been built and become operational later that year.
A 1957 aerial shows the drive-in intact, but there is debris on the ramps and rather curiously, the screen seems a little offset compared to the projection booth. However, I cannot say for sure what was happening.
By 1971, the entire drive-in was gone save for the projection booth. And that was gone by 1984.
Drive-ins go out of business for many reasons. It is possible that this one didn’t make the conversion to widescreen which contributed to its demise. But again, that is but a guess.
There was no building behind the screen in the 1967, 71, and 75 aerial photos. The building was constructed by 1985 using the screen as a supporting wall. And why not.
My guess is that the drive-in closed shortly after the 1967 aerial was taken. As to why it went out of business I cannot say, but being several miles from the nearest town didn’t help.
The drive-in is still intact, save perhaps for the ticket booth which is no longer present.
A 1971 aerial appears to show the drive-in closed as their is debris and other items near the concession stand/projection booth. So, it may not have lasted a decade.
The screen is still standing as well, which is not surprising given its construction.
A closer address is 87782 440th Ave, Long Pine, NE.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the projection booth/concession stand.
As of August 2024, the entrance road, ticket booth, ramps, and projection booth/concession stand is still there. Pieces of the screen are no longer present or at least not visible on the property.
The old marquee as seen in the photo section is long gone. It was replaced before August of 2007.
A 1950 aerial shows the drive-in still under construction, although it is nearly complete.
A 1958 aerial is more interesting because it shows a playground having been installed in front of the screen, something that was not there in a 1956 aerial. It’s all still there a year later.
So, a good question was when did the drive-in close during the 1950s, only to re-open in 1960. I guess it depends on what the phrase “closed for some time” means.
Because it makes little sense to build a playground if the drive-in was closed. But if it was still open in 1957/58 when it was built, then “closed for some time” would only mean a year or two.
By 1973 the drive-in had been demolished with a building located where the screen used to be.
The area where the screen, projection booth, and ramps were located is still open and retains the general shape of the drive-in.
However, the area is crisscrossed with power lines and utility poles.
The drive-in shows up well in a 1975 aerial. It was not much as all that is present are ramps, a fence, the screen, and a projection booth that looks too small to hold a proper snack bar and bathrooms.
By 1981, the fence was gone. It wouldn’t surprise me if it had closed by this time. The grass had grown over the ramps.
By 1991, it had been totally demolished with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
Today, Gracelawn Cemetery is on the property.
A 1977 aerial shows the drive-in intact, although it doesn’t look to be in very good shape. It really looks like it was closed, but I can’t be 100%.
By 1983, it had been completely demolished. Today, no trace of it remains.
A slightly closer address is 194944 US-271, Antlers, OK.
This puts it right where the entrance roads use to be. Upon closer examination, there appears to be faint parch marks of a few of the ramps located behind the house.
https://tinyurl.com/mz48j5zr
A closer address is 13671 US-183, Hobart, OK.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the property.
A 1957 aerial shows the drive-in intact and apparently operational. By 1983 it had been demolished.
Today, the Hobart Stockyards sits on the property. But you can still see the parch marks of some of the ramps.
https://tinyurl.com/579m25hn
I found the Hatch Drive-In. And while its setup is a little unusual, the screen and projection booth stuck out like a sore thumb. No matter the shape of the ramps or if there are no ramps, there should be a line and a box that signifies a screen and projection booth respectively.
If the information is correct, then the October, 1949 aerial would show Star-Lite with a standing screen and most likely be located on the edge of town where it has room to add more ramps. The difficulty with rebuilding suggests farmland that holds water close to the surface (like where I live).
The 1949 aerial on NETR is probably the same as EarthExplorer, which means that a drive-in should be visible, but I do not see anything resembling a screen at all, let alone one with a projection booth anywhere in or around the town.
That’s not to say it isn’t there. But what I can say is the 918 6th Street address has no screen, no projection booth, and no ramps, tracks, or any indication that cars have been parked on it recently. Apart from that, it sorta fits the general description in terms of size and location. But then again, so do a lot of areas around the town.
The Knight Drive-In closed in 1988 and was torn down in 1995.
At this point, I’m not sure what to think.
All I can say is that the 918 6th Street address is really problematic to be a drive-in. Aerial photos are time and date stamped and I’ve yet to run into one that has been proven to be wrong.
If I accept the 1949 aerial as fact, then that’s not the location of any drive-in that opened on March 26th of that year. Even if I assume the photo was taken in January, there is no evidence of any screen, booth, or construction which had to be there.
And in all likelihood, the aerial photo was taken after March 26th. Which means we would see the drive-in which was apparently still standing in July of the following year. And would certainly still be there in October of 1950, but according to your description it was not.
So, that’s not it. Unless it was the fastest construction and demolition job ever of which there is no evidence of that since the property became an auto salvage yard. Which means no need to demolish anything.
Apart from the tip of the northern part of the property, there is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
The drive-in was still intact in a 1966 aerial, but I do not know if it was still open.
By 1969, the highway construction had reached the property, although the projection booth, screen, fencing, and most of the ramps were still intact.
By 1981, it was completely gone.
A closer address is 408 W Gordon Ave, Gordonsville, VA, as mentioned before by jwmovies.
This puts it right on the property which is now occupied by Food Lion.
There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/54swn72e
I may stand corrected. The 1972 aerial shows the screen, projection booth, and fence gone. No question it was demolished.
However, a 1974 aerial shows the fence and projection booth rebuilt. Although I do not see any evidence of a screen. A 1984 aerial also does not show evidence of a screen.
It’s possible a screen was set up after 1974 and torn down by 1984. Perhaps it was positioned against the back wall of the diner.
Whatever the case, the drive-in was demolished again by 1993 and today there is no trace of it remaining.
A closer address is 27316 US-24, Carrollton, MO.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right next to where the drive-in was located, which is the property just to the east of the address.
Today, it is a private residence with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/4t75hxcz
A closer address is 300 Denman Rd, Petaluma, CA.
A 1968 aerial shows that Drive-In Road was the original entrance road to the drive-in which connected to Denman Road. At that time, Denman Road connected to the highway, but now is cut off. The current address of the property itself is 200 Stoney Point Road.
The drive-in was totally demolished by 1993. By 2005 it had become a golf driving range. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining save for the aforementioned entrance road which is now Drive-In Road.
https://tinyurl.com/455sh7ex
Its life as a flea market after closing in 1976 seems short-lived. While it looks like a flea market in 1981, by 1986 the property was empty with only the projection booth remaining.
After that, the property quickly became overgrown with trees which lasted until at least 2021.
Afterward, the entire property was razed and a housing edition is being constructed.
The property is currently a dump for gravel and dirt. There is no trace of the drive-in remaining.
Today, the property seems to be part of the Les Schwab Tire Center. It is used for parking and to hold dozens of old tires. However, most of the property is still open and you can seen hints of the ramps along with the foundation of the projection booth/concession stand.
The original entrance road connected to Main Street just NE of what is now the Burney Bowl. That section of the entrance road still exists today.
It may not have lasted five years. A 1951 aerial shows nothing, although it could’ve been built and become operational later that year.
A 1957 aerial shows the drive-in intact, but there is debris on the ramps and rather curiously, the screen seems a little offset compared to the projection booth. However, I cannot say for sure what was happening.
By 1971, the entire drive-in was gone save for the projection booth. And that was gone by 1984.
Drive-ins go out of business for many reasons. It is possible that this one didn’t make the conversion to widescreen which contributed to its demise. But again, that is but a guess.
There was no building behind the screen in the 1967, 71, and 75 aerial photos. The building was constructed by 1985 using the screen as a supporting wall. And why not.
My guess is that the drive-in closed shortly after the 1967 aerial was taken. As to why it went out of business I cannot say, but being several miles from the nearest town didn’t help.
The drive-in is still intact, save perhaps for the ticket booth which is no longer present.
A 1971 aerial appears to show the drive-in closed as their is debris and other items near the concession stand/projection booth. So, it may not have lasted a decade.
The screen is still standing as well, which is not surprising given its construction.
A closer address is 3178 King William Ave, West Point, VA.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the property.
As of September 2024, Southridge Plaza sits on the property. And apart from the entrance and exit roads, no trace of the drive-in remains
https://tinyurl.com/mry3w6ej
A closer address is 53901 US-2, Glasgow, MT.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the property.
You can still see the screen foundation and hints of ramps.
https://tinyurl.com/mvney4rh
A closer address is 87782 440th Ave, Long Pine, NE.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the projection booth/concession stand.
As of August 2024, the entrance road, ticket booth, ramps, and projection booth/concession stand is still there. Pieces of the screen are no longer present or at least not visible on the property.
https://tinyurl.com/2yc53snf