Hi-Way Drive-in (Demolished)
Latrobe, PA
Photo courtesy Brenda

Here are a couple of shots of the Hi-Way Drive-in Theatre located along Route 30 in Latrobe, PA. During the spring & fall, they have flea markets on the weekends. During the summer they still have movies every night. They still have the old cement posts that use to hold the microphone but the sound is now via your radio on a certain AM station. Many thanks to Brenda for info.

Out along the Lincoln Highway, the Hi-Way Drive-In Theatre in Latrobe was another great place to pull off Route 30 and catch a movie under the stars.

The Hi-Way opened in 1948 with “It Happened on Fifth Avenue” on the screen and eventually had room for hundreds of cars. On Sundays, the movie field changed gears and became a popular flea market, giving people another reason to cruise into the old drive-in.

Hi-Way Drive-in (Demolished)
Latrobe, PA
Photo courtesy Brenda

UPDATE: The Hi-Way Drive-in never opened for the 2011 season in April this year. The plans for the Drive-in is to tear it down sometime this Summer and build a CVS Pharmacy in its place. Many thanks to David Hughes for update. 11-10

After more than 60 years, the final movies flickered across the screen in the fall of 2010. Despite efforts to keep the place around, the Hi-Way was demolished the following summer.

UPDATE: The Hi-Way Drive-In was demolished in 2011 and a CVS now occupies the old theater property. 08-26

Allegany Drive-in Screen Tower (Gone)
Allegany, NY
Photo courtesy Mark Hackett

There’s something about an old drive-in screen standing in the snow that makes the place look even more forgotten. That was the scene at the Allegany Drive-In Theatre in Allegany, New York, where the big screen tower was still hanging around long after the last cars had pulled away. 11-00

The Allegany opened in 1954 along Route 417, with Elizabeth Taylor in “Elephant Walk” lighting up the screen on opening night. There was room for around 650 cars, making this a pretty good-sized ozoner for this part of western New York.

By the time of these shots, though, the movies were already history. The Allegany closed after the 1995 season, leaving the screen, concession building and remnants of the old drive-in sitting quietly beside the highway.

And on this particular day, Mother Nature added her own special effects. Snow covered the old ramps while that giant blank screen stood against the winter sky. No movie playing, no speakers hanging from car windows and certainly no line at the snack bar. Just one big old drive-in screen waiting for a show that wasn't coming.

Allegany Drive-in Screen Tower (Gone)
Allegany, NY
Photo courtesy Mark Hackett

Unfortunately, even that scene didn't last.

UPDATE: The Allegany Drive-in is gone. Many thanks to David Wagner for update. 12-05

UPDATE : The site is undeveloped and owned by Living Waters Church as of 2007. See the NY Drive-ins site for more information. 12-05

UPDATE: The remaining Allegany Drive-In structures were eventually demolished and the old theater property was redeveloped for automotive businesses. That snowy screen tower along Route 417 is now just another roadside memory. 08-26

Elmira Drive-in Theatre (Rem.)
Elmira, NY
Photo courtesy Mark Hackett

Coming down Route 352 in Elmira, you might have wondered if you were approaching a drive-in or some sort of old factory. The Elmira Drive-In Theatre had one of the more unusual screen towers around, with tall vertical sections that looked almost like smokestacks rising above the roadside. Definitely not your everyday outdoor movie screen. 11-00

The Elmira had already been showing movies for more than 50 years when this shot was taken. It opened in 1948 on a sprawling 19-acre site with room for around 800 cars. The main screen measures about 50 by 100 feet, making it one of the larger drive-in screens in New York.

Better yet, the Elmira wasn't fading away when so many other ozoners were disappearing. A second screen was added in 2000, the same year as this photo, turning the old single-screener into a twin. FM sound eventually replaced the familiar speakers hanging from car windows, but the basic ritual remained the same. Pull in, find a good spot, visit the snack bar and wait for darkness.

Elmira Drive-in Theatre (Rem.)
Elmira, NY
Photo courtesy Mark Hackett

For years one of the best parts of the place was that strange old entrance and screen structure. From a distance those tall uprights really did resemble factory smokestacks, giving the Elmira a roadside silhouette all its own.

And yes, the drive-in is still around. Unfortunately, the structure seen in this old photo isn't.

UPDATE: The Elmira Drive-in is still alive and kicking, showing current movies on a nightly basis. Many thanks to Jake for update. 07-06

UPDATE: The Elmira Drive-in is still operating daily. Many thanks to Connie Weller for update. 12-13

UPDATE: A powerful windstorm hit the Elmira Drive-In in April 2025, badly damaging the historic entrance, ticket office and Screen 2 structure. The damage was severe enough that the old smokestack-like structure was demolished later that year. The good news is that the drive-in itself survived. Elmira continues showing movies, so while one of its most unusual roadside features is gone, you can still pull off Route 352 and catch a movie under the stars. 08-26