Starlite Drive-in Theatre
Tacoma, WA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The old Starlite Drive-In Theatre marquee still greeted motorists along South Tacoma Way when these photos were taken. Movies had stopped playing years earlier, but the sign made sure nobody forgot what had once been here. Even weathered and advertising a different kind of entertainment, it had enough roadside personality to make you pull over for a photograph. 07-08

Located in what is now Lakewood, the Starlite opened on May 26, 1948, during the early years of America’s drive-in boom. It entertained moviegoers until 1996, giving Northwest families nearly fifty years of summer evenings beneath the stars. This was the sort of place where getting everyone into the car and finding a good parking spot became part of the evening’s entertainment.

Ticket Booth
Tacoma, WA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The giant screen tower was still standing when these photographs were taken, looming over the grounds as though it were waiting for another feature. Screens like this were landmarks even with the projectors switched off. You could spot one from the road and immediately know that somewhere below it had been rows of cars, speaker posts, and a snack bar doing a brisk business between movies.

After the movies ended, the Star Lite Swap Meet kept people coming through the entrance. The spacious grounds could accommodate hundreds of vendors, turning the former theater into a weekend destination for bargain hunters. Shoppers browsed produce, household goods, and assorted treasures while the old screen stood watch. It was quite a change from popcorn and previews, but the property remained a gathering place.

Screen tower and lot inside
Tacoma, WA
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

That combination made the Starlite especially interesting to photograph. The swap meet was very much alive, yet the drive-in hadn’t quite disappeared. Between the marquee out front and the screen in the distance, there was still enough left to picture the place on a busy movie night. Sometimes the leftovers tell the story just as well as a fully restored attraction.

UPDATE: Here's a close-up of the Starlite marquee. Many thanks to Jeffrey Cook for update. 11-07

UPDATE: The swap meet closed in May 2019, and demolition began the following month, taking down the giant screen and remaining theater structures. The grounds became the Starlite Distribution Center, preserving the name in a very different business. The marquee stood on a separately retained parcel according to reporting at the time, so its eventual fate remains unconfirmed here. The drive-in itself, however, has taken its final bow. 07-26

Screen tower, front view Tacoma, WA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com	Starlite Drive-in marquee close-up (Demolished) Tacoma, WA Photo courtesy Jeffrey Cook

Starlite Drive-in Theatre (Demolished)
Roseburg, OR
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The Starlite Drive-In Theatre was already quiet when these photos were taken, but its giant screen still commanded attention along Highway 99 near Roseburg. The movies had ended years earlier, yet it looked as though someone could switch on the projector and bring the place back to life. That enormous white rectangle was worth a roadside stop all by itself. 04-06

The Starlite opened on July 23, 1954, with a screen measuring 60 by 100 feet, reportedly the largest drive-in screen in Oregon at the time. That’s quite a way to announce a new theater. An indoor auditorium was later added alongside the outdoor operation, giving customers the unusual choice of watching movies beneath a roof or beneath the stars.

Starlite Drive-in Theatre Screen Tower
Roseburg, OR
Photo by RoadsidePeek.com

The drive-in closed in 1997 after the Cow Creek Band of Umpqua Tribe of Indians purchased the property. Its screen remained standing for another decade, outlasting the nightly traffic, snack bar visits, and search for the perfect parking spot. Then, on September 28, 2007, the Starlite hosted a farewell screening, bringing movies back to the outdoor screen for the first time in ten years.

UPDATE: The Starlite Drive-in showed its last show on September 28, 2007. The drive-in had originally opened on July 23, 1954. According to the News Review, the last showing was the first in the 10 years since the drive-ins closure. The 60 by 100 foot screen was deemed structurally unsafe and was unceremoniously taken down on October 19, 2007. 07-08

UPDATE: The final show proved to be just that. Deemed structurally unsafe, the towering screen was taken down on October 19, 2007, ending one of the Starlite’s most recognizable chapters. These photographs caught it during those quiet years between regular operation and demolition, when a drive through the area could still turn up one very large reminder of Oregon’s outdoor movie days. 07-26

Starlite Drive-in Theatre Projection Booth Roseburg, OR Photo by RoadsidePeek.com	Starlite Drive-in Speaker Posts Roseburg, OR Photo by RoadsidePeek.com