270 Drive-In
3003 Dunn Road,
Florissant,
MO
63033
3003 Dunn Road,
Florissant,
MO
63033
5 people
favorited this theater
Additional Info
Previously operated by: Arthur Enterprises Inc.
Architects: Frederick Sternberg
Nearby Theaters
The 270 Drive-In opened September 1, 1965 with Peter O'Toole in “Lord Jim”, James Stewart in “Dear Brigitte” & Cliff Robertson in “Masquarade”. It was operated by Arthur Enterprises Inc. with a capacity of 1,200 cars making it the largest drive-in in the St. Louis area. Located on Dunn Road and West Florissant Avenue just off I-270, its large marquee with the yellow tower and flashing red ball on top was visible for miles coming up and down the interstate. It was equipped with 70mm & 35mm projectors.
This was one of the last theatres that the Arthur Enterprises Inc. chain operated when they went into financial difficulties and finally went out of business. It was closed on September 23, 1984 with Bo Derek in “Bolero” & Lawrence Monoson in “The Last American Virgin”. It was demolished in 1986 to make way for the Clock Tower Shopping Center.
Contributed by
Chuck Van Bibber
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Recent comments (view all 25 comments)
AND…they ran the same double feature on 2 screens at the 4 Screen instead of running 4 different double features. They missed out on some SERIOUS cash with that flawed strategy!
Valid point, Chris…although, to be fair, I believe Wehrenberg continued that tradition after they took over the St. Ann 4 Screen…which, of course, wasn’t for very long.
True…but the 4 Screen did eek out 7 more years after the Arthur shutdown. Last time I went there was to see “Blue Thunder” in early summer 1983.
What I remember most about the 270 was the playground. They had this large metal turtle, about the size of a sea turtle, I would guess, that kids could climb on.
My uncle Managed this Drive in in the 70’s. He also managed the Cross Keys and later the Fox downtown. I worked at the Cross Keys and the Fox for years and it was a blast. Working the Springsteen concert at the Fox is still a vivid memory.
September 1st, 1965 grand opening ad in photo section.
A more accurate address for this theater is 3003 Dunn Rd, Florissant, MO 63033. This points to West Florissant Avenue and Dunn Road. W. Florissant (which didn’t exist north of Dunn when this drive in was open) is where the entrance road was located. The above address is incorrect and points to the Dunn Center west of the theater’s location.
Please update.
@jwmovies: You are correct about the location of the 270 Drive-In. However, in newspaper listings, the location was always given as I-270 and West Florissant Rd. Not arguing your point at all (I’m sure it’s valid), but giving the location as I-270 and West Florissant made it easier for folks to figure out where it was.
I grew up in St. Charles and never made it to this drive-in (sadly) but I remember seeing that marquee all lit up on Sunday nights when my folks would drive us home from Sunday evening services at Third Baptist Church.
A 1974 aerial does show a completed West Florissant Road while the drive-in was still operating. The original entrance road was replaced and the new entrance road was created which connected the drive-in at approximately 11206 West Florissant Avenue.
Having said that, there are two smaller entrance roads with all three leading to the ticket booth. One just south of the main entrance on West Florissant and the other further east at roughly 3206 Dunn Road which is now an entrance road to the mall.
At this point, I really don’t care whether the address is changed or not. But what is true is that the original entrance was changed when the drive-in was in operation.
I understand that the drive-in may have advertised itself using an intersection. And I don’t want to get into an argument over what criteria is to be used. It’s up to the admin, I’m providing the address I found.
Last shows were on Sep. 23, 1984 with Bolero and Last American Virgin. Demolition came in 1986 with the retail shopping area replacing the ozoner