St. Thomas Drive-In
42703 Fruit Ridge Line,
St. Thomas,
ON
N5P 3S9
42703 Fruit Ridge Line,
St. Thomas,
ON
N5P 3S9
1 person
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Opened in 1950 as a single screen drive-in with a 400-car capacity. It was twinned in 1976. Since closed and demolished, a Masonic Hall has been built on the site.
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Sarah B
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Recent comments (view all 5 comments)
Twinned in 1976.
The Saint Thomas Drive-In’s first appearance in the Motion Picture Almanac series was in the 1950-51 edition, with a capacity of 400 cars, and the owner listed as B. Herman. The capacity stayed the same for the rest of its run in the MPA drive-in list. Ownership changes:
1952-53 edition: Twinex 1960 edition: Moonlight Drive-In 1964 edition: Twinex (again)
Oshawa native Ronald Dalziel, then age 26, was the guy who bought the St. Thomas in 1976 and converted it into a dual theatre, according to an article in the March 28, 1977 issue of Boxoffice.
Boxoffice, Dec. 16, 1950: “Storm clouds have apparently gathered for some of the newer drive-in theatres in Ontario. The Ontario Gazette, official publication of the provincial government, contains notice of application for the winding up of four automobile theatres, with a liquidator to be appointed in each case. The four are located at St. Thomas, Sudbury, Cornwall and Pembroke. The erection of further drive-ins in Canada has been halted by the federal emergency order, effective January 1, which prohibits the use of steel in structures for amusement purposes.”
Approximate address is 42703 Fruit Ridge Line, St Thomas, ON N5P 3S9. Now a Masonic Hall.