Daly City, CA - The debut entrant to Roadside Peek's Lost Treasures is Daly City's
own Geneva Drive-in Theatre. The eerie yet tranquil atmosphere
relayed one emotion... sadness. The following poem provided by a Roadside Peek contributor encompasses the mood
of this lonely drive-in theatre. A drive-in theatre resigned to its fate...
Geneva Drive-in Theatre (Demolished)
Daly City, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Just across from the Cow Palace stood the Geneva Drive-in Theatre, a sprawling outdoor movie stop that was often remembered as part of San Francisco even though the property sat inside Daly City. The screens were hard enough to miss, and the name seemed to borrow a little from nearby Geneva Avenue.
Long before moviegoers arrived, the property had already seen plenty of action. Midget cars and racing dogs once circled a track here, leaving behind a grandstand when the site became a drive-in. Rather than tear the whole thing down, the theater kept the old stadium seating. Customers could watch from their cars or leave the vehicle behind and take a seat in the grandstand. Not many drive-ins offered that choice.
Geneva opened as a single-screen theater on June 15, 1950. Its location near the Cow Palace brought plenty of traffic past the entrance, especially during events. Pull off the road, find a speaker post, and settle in for an outdoor movie with the old racetrack stands nearby.
Geneva Grandstand
Daly City, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Syufy Enterprises later expanded the property into the Geneva 4, placing four screens around the lot. The larger complex included a circular concession and projection hub similar to the buildings at Syufy’s Burlingame and Coliseum drive-ins. With several movies playing at once, the center of the lot became the place to find popcorn, drinks, and perhaps directions back to the correct field.
The grandstand stayed through the theater’s later years, a leftover from the days when speed and dog racing had occupied the property. It gave Geneva a look unlike the usual drive-in, where nearly everything was arranged around cars. Here, part of the audience could sit together like they were back at the track, only now the action was happening on a giant screen.
Hunter S. Thompson was also known to visit the Geneva during his years around San Francisco. A late-night drive-in beside the Cow Palace, built on an old racetrack and surrounded by four glowing screens, sounds like the right sort of setting for a Hunter S. Thompson story. Probably best not to ask what was happening in the parking lot after the final feature.
Geneva Drive-in 1970
Daly City, CA Photo courtesy Jack Tillmany
By the 1990s, Geneva was one of the last large drive-ins still operating near San Francisco. The surrounding city had changed, but the screens, circular snack bar, old grandstand, and rows of parked cars continued holding their corner near the county line.
To the left is a photo of the Geneva Drive-in Theatre from 1970. The old grandstand was originally used for dog racing, but was converted to a drive-in in 1950. The canteen and projection booth were in the grandstand lower lever. The upstairs is blocked off.
The final movies played on September 13, 1998. After the gates closed, the abandoned drive-in sat exposed for nearly four years. The screens remained standing over the empty fields while weeds and weather slowly moved into the old parking rows.
Geneva Entrance
Daly City, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
UPDATE: The Geneva Drive-in had originally opened up in 1950. Once a dog racing track, this drive-in shut down in 1999/2000. The Geneva was bulldozed in March 2002 and is currently a vacant site. Many thanks to Chet Wilson for update. 05-06
UPDATE: I used to live 2 blocks from the Geneva Drive-In in Daly City, CA when I was a young girl. Our little family went every weekend in our 57 DeSoto and our grocery bag of popcorn.It backs up to the the famous Cow Palace in Daly City and it's about 15 minutes from downtown San Francisco. Many thanks to Karin Weman for update. 06-06
UPDATE : Per the latest word off the street, all that's left of the Geneva Drive-in is one of the signs out front and a few speaker poles. 07-06
UPDATE: The Geneva was a nice clean theater and a pleasure to work at. The Geneva was considered a San Francisco theater, even though it was located across the San Mateo County line. Many thanks to Jim Shaw, former projectionist of the Geneva Drive-in Theatre for all comments above. Also, thanks to Jack Tillmany for granting permission to use his 1970 photo. 07-07
UPDATE: In 1999, the Geneva, which now had 4 screens, closed down and subsequently was demolished in 2002. The site remains vacant to this day. For more information, see the Cinema Treasures site. 11-13
UPDATE: The Geneva Drive-In was demolished in 2002. Its four screen towers, circular concession building, racetrack grandstand, marquee, and remaining speaker posts were removed. The property remains a fenced vacant parcel awaiting future redevelopment. 09-26
Geneva Drive-in Theatre (Demolished)
Geneva Grandstand
