Anaheim Drive-In 
1520 North Lemon, Anaheim, CA.

Specifications

    Operators: Independent/Pacific
    Status: Demolished
    Opened: 8/3/55
    Closed: 3/26/90
    Current Use: Retail Park 
    Screens: 1/3
    Seating: Drive-In (2,000 cars)
        
Profile

.

On Wednesday, August 3, 1955, the Anaheim Drive-In opened on a 23 acre site, beside the Lemon Street off-ramp  to the 91 freeway. Built by Aladdin Theatres for $350,000, the 2,000 car venue had a 110′ x 55′ non glare screen and a snack bar that featured a, then notable, fifteen person staff. Intended as the chain’s flagship site, the drive-in was equipped with the day’s cutting edge technology; this included an “advanced engineering” grading system, which, according to the theatre’s first general manager, Cliff Getter, staggered and arranged cars for “optimal viewing quality”. The Anaheim Drive-In was later taken in to the Pacific Theatres fold and two additional screens were added.

In later years, the site became better known for a weekly swap meet and roller hockey rink, as the popularity of drive-ins waned. The theatre played it’s last film on March 26, 1990 and continued with it’s alternative daytime uses for another six years. In 1997, the lot was cleared for a proposed indoor megaplex and “lifestyle center”, but the project never managed to move past the demolition stage. After sitting idle for a few more years, the lot was sold and redeveloped in to a retail center. The drive-in’s marquee managed to hang on for a short time after the redevelopment, but, today, even that last remnant has vanished, leaving no sign of what was once “Another famous Anaheim entertainment center”.  

Images

Click on images for larger view