From the Archives: Drive-in theaters in Spokane

America married its love of cars and movies in the concept of the drive-in theater. There were several around Spokane from the 1940s to the 1980s. A few lasted until the early 1990s.

Section:Gallery

Tue., Jan. 21, 2020

A carload of kids get ready for action on a recent night at the North Cedar Drive-in in 1990.

Colin Mulvany The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Spokane's newest drive-in theater the $500,000 North Cedar Drive-In at N6500 Cedar, had its grand opening in 1966. The new facility, was operated by Favorite Theaters, and accommodated 750 automobiles on an unusual double-ramp alignment that permits more cars to be closer to the screen. Speakers featured an automatic cutoff, so that they turned off when replaced on their posts. The large building at the left was an ultramodern snack bar and projection room. The snack bar featured a counter 108 feet long, and a radar range that cooked food in seconds a steak in 30 seconds, for instance.

The Spokesman-Review Photo Archive Sr
Cars gather to watch a movie at a drive-in theatre in 1982.

The Spokesman-Review Photo Archive Sr
People find it easier & harder to watch a movie from the top of their car at the E. Sprague Drive-In in 1988. On a busy night, 800 vehicles park at the drive in on Sprague.

The Spokesman-Review Photo Archive Sr
Doug and Darin Justus of Justus Bag Co. own the property that was once the East Trent Motor In Theatre. The two donated the sign to the Spokane Valley Heritage Museum.

Photo Courtesy Of Duane Justus
The screen at the Y Drive-In theater on North Division comes crashing down in 1993 as demolition workers cleared the site for development. The front-end loader used a cable to pull down the screen.

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The West-End was one of Spokane's first drive-ins to close. Photo taken in 1994.

Colin Mulvany The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
Aerial of the East Sprague Drive In Theater taken in 1965. America married its love of cars and movies in the concept of the drive-in theater. There were several around Spokane from the 1940s to the 1980s. A few lasted until the early 1990s.

Spokane Valley Heritage Museum
The land that was once the East Sprague Drive-in, just south of the I-90 Sprague curve, is now dominated by a storage business. The freeway off-ramp at left cuts very close to where the large outdoor screen once sat. Photographed Monday, Mar. 18, 2014.

Jesse Tinsley The Spokesman-Review Buy this photo
The East Sprague Drive In Theater in a photo taken in 1958 by Larry Owens. This was one of many photos Owens brought with him to the East Sprague Drive In Theater reunion.

Larry Owens
Moose the dog gets a prime bed and pat on the snout from Michelle Greco of Colville during the socializing before the start of Friday night movies at Auto-View Drive-Inn in 2003. Hayle, also a dog, gets a pat as well, at right.

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Auto-View Drive-Inn president Steve Wisner watches the reel nearest him run film into the projector, while the reel farthest from him rewainds the first movie of the night in 2003.

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As the night turns cool, Michelle Greco of Colville, from left, Levi Beardslee of Kettle Falls, and Cassie Eller of Colville find blankets and dogs to keep them warm during the first movie of a double feature at Auto-View Drive-Inn on a Friday night in 2003.

The Spokesman-Review Photo Archive Sr