Phoenix's first drive-in movie theater

Although there were nearly a dozen drive-in movie theaters in Phoenix, the Phoenix Drive-in Theatre at 36th Street and Van Buren was the first.

Harry Nace, who also built the Orpheum Theatre, opened the motion picture theater in 1940. Customers could watch movies year round "under the stars."

The theater had the image of an enchanting woman on the back side of the screen that beckoned viewers to see the latest show.

The Phoenix Drive-in Theatre is an example of how drive-in theaters evolved. Speakers were first located in the ground and later migrated onto poles.

A concession stand was added. The size of the screen grew and the number of parking slots doubled over time to about 800.

Drive-in movie theaters gained the most popularity in the 1950s. In Phoenix, several drive-in theaters opened and several of their names changed over time. They include:

-- The Indian Drive-in Theatre at 27th Avenue and Indian School Road;

-- The Cinema Park (Southwest) Drive-in Theatre at Seventh Street and Missouri;

-- The Rodeo Drive-in Theatre near 12th Street and Buckeye Road;

-- The Vale (Big Sky) Drive-in Theatre near 39th Avenue and Indian School Road;

-- The Silver Dollar Drive-in Theatre east of South Central Avenue and north of Baseline Road by the Western Canal;

-- The Acres of Fun Drive-in Theatre at 37th Avenue and Van Buren.

Sharing the same site with the Acres of Fun Drive-in was the Peso Drive-in Theatre on the northern portion of the property.

Drive-in theaters were still popular in the 1960s, and the Northern Drive-in Theatre at Interstate 17 and Northern and the Nu-View Drive-in Theatre near 31st Avenue and Buckeye Road opened in the 1960s.

The last drive-in theater to open in Phoenix was the Valley Drive-in Theatre at the southwest corner of Cave Creek Road and Sweetwater Avenue, but by that time the popularity of drive-in theaters had begun to fade.

The real estate building boom of the 1980s really squashed any remaining hopes that these theaters would flourish. Land was just too valuable for redevelopment.

Slowly, these theaters were replaced with new uses such as shopping centers and apartments complexes. It also became difficult to compete with indoor movie theaters and home entertainment systems.

There are still many Phoenicians that have fond memories of these former entertainment venues. Unfortunately, those who haven't had the pleasure have to venture outside the city for that experience.

Michelle Dodds is the Phoenix historic preservation officer, www.phoenix.gov/pdd/historic.