Memorial Drive-In
555 Memorial Avenue,
West Springfield,
MA
01089
555 Memorial Avenue,
West Springfield,
MA
01089
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Additional Info
Previously operated by: Daytz Theatre Enterprises Corp., E.M. Loew's Theaters Inc.
Architects: William H. Black
Previous Names: West Springfield Drive-In
Nearby Theaters
The West Springfield Drive-In was opened in September 1948 operated by Weymouth Drive-Ins Corp. & E.M. Loew’s Theaters Inc. This drive-in rested on a parcel of land surrounded by a wall of towering willow trees, not too far from the Memorial Bridge and Springfield.
The back of its screen faced Memorial Avenue and its entrance was on a side street with more willow trees arching the entrance drive up to the cashier booth. A very clean and well-kept place. By 1970 it was operated by Daytz Theatre Enterprises Corp. It closed in 1976 and was demolished a few years later for a shopping plaza. It was one of two drive-ins in West Springfield, the other being Riverdale Drive-In.
Contributed by
Edward Shear
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Recent comments (view all 6 comments)
Here is a 1957 aerial photo of the drive-in, courtesy of Earth Explorer and USGS.
There was a WEST SPRINGFIELD DRIVE-IN there in 1956 parking 900 cars.Same Drive-in? They Change names so often.
I’m very sure that this started life as the West Springfield Drive-In.
Boxoffice, Oct. 14, 1950: “Bill Black of Wellesley visited (Boston) Filmrow. He is the designer, builder and architect of the new Nepsonset Drive-In for Michael Redstone, the West Springfield Drive-In for E. M. Loew and the Quintree Drive-In for the Rifki circuit”
Getting closer to the opening date…
Boxoffice, July 10, 1948: “The West Springfield Drive-In on Memorial avenue will open the later part of July. Accomodating 500 cars the ozoner is owned and operated by Weymouth Drive-Ins Corp. The manager has not as yet been named”
Film Daily, Sept. 24, 1948: (under New Film Theatres Opened) “West Springfield Drive-In, West Springfield, Mass., by Weymouth Drive-In Theaters Corp.”
In 1976, when the Memorial showed Walt Disney’s Gus, a comedy about a football-playing donkey, he yanked it after two days because it played to a nearly empty lot. He also had to recoup numerous vandalism costs, including trashed picnic tables and the yearly replacement of 300 speakers that were stolen or absent-mindedly torn out when cars pulled away.