To further comment on the photo at http://www.americandrivein.com/states/mo.htm , the fact that it is a black and white photo threw me a bit since the Mini was built in the early to mid 70’s. But the number of screens, the fence, the adjacent properties, and the center building design all highly resemble the Mini. The center building at the Autoscope in Buffalo, MO (built after the Urbana Autoscope) was a wooden rectangular building holding the concession, projection booth and rest rooms. The Mini’s center building was round and made of concrete cinder blocks painted white with tall dark tented windows, similar to the photo.
Lynda Brown: My Grand Father, Albert “Bert” Croley Jr., was a 1/3rd owner of the Buffalo Autoscope along with Tom Smith. I knew him from the theater and visited his home once. He was one of the smartest and most fascinating people I ever knew growing up, and an amazing inventor.
CSWalczak From you first link, the phone labeled “Another view of the autoscope.” is actually a photo of the “Mini Art Drive-in” just North of Joplin, Missouri. The owners of Mini Art Theaters bought the design patient from Tom Smith, who designed the Urbana and Buffalo drive-ins. The Mini Art is a replica of the Buffalo design and they built several of them, to include one in Springdale, Arkansas. You may notice the large fence around the Mini Art, whereas you do not see this in the Buffalo location. That is because the Mini Art was an adult theater and was shut down several times by the local prosecutor. It was quite a to do at the time, as you could imagine outdoor porn in the bible belt. All of the theaters have closed since then.
To further comment on the photo at http://www.americandrivein.com/states/mo.htm , the fact that it is a black and white photo threw me a bit since the Mini was built in the early to mid 70’s. But the number of screens, the fence, the adjacent properties, and the center building design all highly resemble the Mini. The center building at the Autoscope in Buffalo, MO (built after the Urbana Autoscope) was a wooden rectangular building holding the concession, projection booth and rest rooms. The Mini’s center building was round and made of concrete cinder blocks painted white with tall dark tented windows, similar to the photo.
Lynda Brown: My Grand Father, Albert “Bert” Croley Jr., was a 1/3rd owner of the Buffalo Autoscope along with Tom Smith. I knew him from the theater and visited his home once. He was one of the smartest and most fascinating people I ever knew growing up, and an amazing inventor.
CSWalczak From you first link, the phone labeled “Another view of the autoscope.” is actually a photo of the “Mini Art Drive-in” just North of Joplin, Missouri. The owners of Mini Art Theaters bought the design patient from Tom Smith, who designed the Urbana and Buffalo drive-ins. The Mini Art is a replica of the Buffalo design and they built several of them, to include one in Springdale, Arkansas. You may notice the large fence around the Mini Art, whereas you do not see this in the Buffalo location. That is because the Mini Art was an adult theater and was shut down several times by the local prosecutor. It was quite a to do at the time, as you could imagine outdoor porn in the bible belt. All of the theaters have closed since then.