Terrace Drive-In
2796 N. Hillside Street,
Wichita,
KS
37202
2796 N. Hillside Street,
Wichita,
KS
37202
1 person
favorited this theater
Showing 11 comments
A closer address is 2796 N Hillside Ave, Wichita, KS.
That is close to where the entrance road once existed. Today, the entire property has been landscaped with no trace of the drive-in remaining.
https://tinyurl.com/2kfw2f76
Commonwealth closed the ozoner on August 19, 1979 with a double feature of “The Warriors” and “Up in Smoke.” The property was embroiled in a zoning debate over the next four years as the property owner tried to create a mobile home park after having the screen tower demolished after the final season. (Also, it was never the Country Drive-In Theatre - that was the Derby Drive-In that turned to the Country moniker.)
A 1981 aerial shows the drive-in demolished. The land sat unused for about two decades when N Grove Street was put in to the north of the drive-in location.
Today, the property is part of the Dr. Glen Dev Park. In a 2017 aerial, you can even see the faint hint of ramps, although it does not appear in the latest Google aerial view.
Grand opening ad posted.
A three-page story about Merta and Truman Slothower in the July 4, 1960 issue of Boxoffice included: “The 54 and 81 drive-in theatres were acquired in 1956 from Nu-Vue Theatres of Kansas City. They built the Derby Drive-In, 12 miles south of Wichita, and purchased the Terrace Drive-In from George Sproule and Loren Jones. The Terrace stands on a profitable tract of land. The property not only houses the successful drive-in, but it also boasts of a producing oil well.”
The Terrace opened on June 6, 1952. It’s first showings were “Frontier Gal”, starring Yvonne DeCarlo, and “Canyon Passage”.
This Drive-In was operational when I came to Wichita as City Manager for Commonwealth in 1975. I was told it was built during war time and had no metal in its frame. I do know I could stand in the concession stand and look through the walls in spots. It only operated during the summer and was not that well attended. It had a boxoffice completely separate from the rest of the theatre which was easy to rob, and frequently was! It was closed and sold to an investor who intended to make it into a trailer park but subsequently ran into zoning problems and I don’t believe the park was ever built.
This theatre was eventually owned by the Commonwealth circuit. It catered to a really ‘rough’ crowd and Commonwealth had trouble finding people to work at this theatre.
This Drive-In was located at the NW corner of N Hillside and E 27th St at 2701 N Hillside St.
Well, Cactus Jack here is some facts on this Wichita Drive-in. It parked 550 cars and was owned by Sproule-Jones. This in 1956.
Here is a nice site that outlines the history (along with many photographs) of hundreds of historic Kansas theatres,
View link