Fair Oaks Drive-In
1032 N. Fair Oaks Avenue,
Sunnyvale,
CA
94089
1032 N. Fair Oaks Avenue,
Sunnyvale,
CA
94089
1 person
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The Fair Oaks Drive-In was located in the Lakewood district of Sunnyvale at the intersection of N. Fair Oaks Avenue and Bayshore Freeway 101. It opened in 1964 with Tony Curtis in “40 Pounds of Trouble”. It was closed in 1974.
It was demolished and a single story business park was built on the site. By 2022 the site contains a housing development.
Contributed by
Ken Roe
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Recent comments (view all 10 comments)
Approx. address for the drive-in was 1032 N. Fair Oaks Ave. Half of it is also condos.
Legend has it that the Lion and Compass restaurant is at or near the site of the old sanck bar for this drive-in.
Original site is enclosed within the Fairoaks Business Park. Also, per the aerial photography, there was only 1 screen. The theater was built ~1961-1962.
The Fair Oaks Drive-in opened in 1964 with the release of Goldfinger. The last movie to play there was Born Losers, in 1974. The theater could hold up to 990 cars. It was part of the United Artists Theater Circuit. Fair Oaks Drive-in fell victim to rising land values in an area which soon came to be called Silicon Valley. It was sold and became a business park. The Lion and Compass restaurant is indeed located on the site of the old snack-bar. The restaurant was established by Nolan Bushnell, founder of Atari.
Does the restaurant have video games(Atari?)?
No it doesn’t, because it has been closed since the beginning of this year.
Is there anything in the restaurant building now?
The Fairoaks Auto Movie opened on December 11th, 1964, with “Topkapi” and “The Pink Panther”. Grand opening ad posted.
Fairoaks not Fair Oaks.
Also opened with “40 pounds of trouble”.
FYI Sunnyvale D/I is now Willowbend Townhomes. The Fair Oaks D/I is now Encasa Townhomes. Please update.