Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts in right in the middle of the property on the projection booth/concession stand.
The property is now the Department of Transportation for Davis, Oklahoma.
Apart from the concession stand/projection booth, which is still in excellent condition as of a June 2022 Google Street Map, there is no trace remaining of the drive-in.
The train station at that location makes sense as the tracks split in two direction just to the east. One going into town, the other heading southeast. Passengers travelling cross-country probably disembarked at the station and waited for a connecting train to their destination.
After zooming in on the photo, that is the back of the drive-in screen. The only question I have is the trees behind the screen, which seem more numerous than can be seen on historic aerials from 1955. But that is pretty minor.
The projection booth sat at the back of the lot instead of the middle.
The entrance to the drive-in was on Creel Road close to where Lithia Way would eventually be.
I’d say the 350 vehicle statement by the owners at the time is a typical exaggeration. The 1976 aerial shows six long ramps which would have to hold 50 cars each just to get to 300. The actual capacity was probably more like 225 to 250, IMHO.
MichaelKilgore - as you probably noticed, the Boxoffice report of the drive-in being one mile WEST of town is obviously wrong. It was a mile east of the town.
The projection booth/concession stand was still standing in 2017, but had been removed by 2019. There is now no trace of the drive-in remaining.
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 132 Mt Idaho Grade Rd, Grangeville, ID.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the projector booth/concession stand.
A closer address is 3307 US-60, Harned, KY.
Google Maps has updated their address and this puts it where the entrance road used to be.
Today, the drive-in is gone, but you can see faint traces of the ramps. Skyline Lane runs behind where the drive-in was located.
A closer address is 2130 Sheehan St, Dublin, TX.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it in the middle of the property.
Looks intact and operational in a 1983 aerial, but by 1995 it had clearly closed.
https://tinyurl.com/mw8wttup
A closer address is 783 US-77, Davis, OK.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts in right in the middle of the property on the projection booth/concession stand.
The property is now the Department of Transportation for Davis, Oklahoma.
Apart from the concession stand/projection booth, which is still in excellent condition as of a June 2022 Google Street Map, there is no trace remaining of the drive-in.
https://tinyurl.com/msmn36nn
A Tractor Supply store has been built on the property, removing all traces of the drive-in.
It sure looks like the projector booth/concession stand is still standing. It is the building located at 7630 Stine Hill Rd, Cashmere, WA.
It is a two-story building with what appears to be the projection booth on top. It has not changed its general shape since a 1963 aerial.
A September 2023 Google Street View shows the drive-in being used as a gravel dump.
The screen has been consumed by vines.
A closer address is 10034 14th Ave, Hanford, CA.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the projection booth/concession stand.
The screen was still standing in 1992, but long torn down by 2002.
The projection booth/concession stand has a large hole in the roof. The ticket booth is still there, but it has been consumed by bushes.
The train station at that location makes sense as the tracks split in two direction just to the east. One going into town, the other heading southeast. Passengers travelling cross-country probably disembarked at the station and waited for a connecting train to their destination.
After zooming in on the photo, that is the back of the drive-in screen. The only question I have is the trees behind the screen, which seem more numerous than can be seen on historic aerials from 1955. But that is pretty minor.
I’d say the photo is legit.
A closer address is 3825 Springs Rd NE, Conover, NC.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the property.
Today, Sigmon’s Bark & Mulch operates on the property and all traces of the drive-in are gone.
https://tinyurl.com/3p4yzkam
The screen faced almost due south, which is unusual for drive-ins.
A 1984 aerial shows lots of debris on the property. It had clearly been closed for some time.
The projection booth sat at the back of the lot instead of the middle.
The entrance to the drive-in was on Creel Road close to where Lithia Way would eventually be.
I’d say the 350 vehicle statement by the owners at the time is a typical exaggeration. The 1976 aerial shows six long ramps which would have to hold 50 cars each just to get to 300. The actual capacity was probably more like 225 to 250, IMHO.
The only remnant of the drive-in remaining, apart from its general outline and hints of ramps, is the base of the marquee.
A closer address is 21697 WY-76, Rawlins, WY.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right on the property.
A 1975 aerial shows the drive-in intact, but it looks like it closed years earlier. By 1980, it had been totally demolished.
Today, it is a ranch with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
The foundation of the ticket booth/concession stand has been removed or covered over.
A July 2024 Google Street View shows overgrown grass and no indication that the property was being prepared for reopening at least in the near future.
A closer address is 14000 US-283, Ness City, KS.
Google Maps has updated their addresses and this puts it right where the screen used to be.
I was mistaken about the concession stand/projector booth. It appears to have been replaced by another building on the same foundation.
https://tinyurl.com/2m6ueepu
A closer address is 1475 Q Rd, Eureka, KS.
This puts it right in the middle of the lot. The drive-in was demolished by 1981, including the projector booth/concession stand.
https://tinyurl.com/4csdyhpa
MichaelKilgore - as you probably noticed, the Boxoffice report of the drive-in being one mile WEST of town is obviously wrong. It was a mile east of the town.
The projection booth/concession stand was still standing in 2017, but had been removed by 2019. There is now no trace of the drive-in remaining.
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.