|
Quincy Drive-In Theatre
Photo from the Darren Snow collection.
|
|
Highway 24 & County Road 357
West Quincy MO
  |
| Record #7530 |
Opened: 1949
Closed: 1976
Demolished: Yes (date unknown)
|
Capacity: 500 cars
Architect(s):
Architectural Style(s):
National Register:
Current Organ: none |
| Also Known As: |
| Previously operated by: Kerasotes Theatres |
Information for this tour was contributed by Darren Snow. Opened: September 1949; Closed in 1976. Capacity (initially): 500 cars.
This drive-in was founded to serve the town of Quincy, IL, right across the Mississippi River. The theatre was opened in 1949 by World Theatrical Entertainment. Robert J. Schmitt and Andy Dietz were listed as proprietors in the 1953 Theatre Catalog. When the Kerasotes chain took over operations in 1957, Ray Parker -- who had built the Broadway Drive-In in St. Louis and was also the Mayor of Brentwood -- was the lessee. The projection/concession building burned on Dec. 14, 1963, and a flood did $200,000 worth of damage in spring 1973. The drive-in had just added a second screen the previous October.
When the bridge to Quincy was being repaired, motorists had access to Missouri only during daylight hours -- so the drive-in shut down. Though the hiatus was meant to be temporary, the theatre never got back on its feet. Long after it closed, a 1993 flood put the last nail in the proverbial coffin.
Photos
Photos remain the property of the Member and may not be reproduced without the written consent of the Member. |
Photos from the Darren Snow collection.
5 KB · 250x136 | 
109 KB · 625x542 | 
6 KB · 325x200 |
Return to the top of this page or Return to the main page
Last featured 3/8/2005. Last edited 8/13/2022.
|
