St. Louis’ first drive-in theater opened on May 24, 1940, and was aptly named The Drive-In. It was located on Manchester Road, which served as Route 66 before the 1932 realignment. The Drive-In occupied 15 acres of land and cost fifty thousand dollars to build, which is equivalent to 1.2 million dollars today. With a screen more than 100 feet high, the theater originally accommodated five hundred vehicles. By 1954, the theater expanded its capacity to nine hundred cars and was renamed Manchester Drive-In. Movies weren’t the only form of entertainment at the Drive-In; the theater was also used for local talent shows and live performances.
After nearly 25 years of operation, it was announced that the Manchester Drive-In would close and a shopping center would be built in its place. The theater’s last film played on June 6, 1967, which starred Elizabeth Taylor in “Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?”.
For more information about Route 66 or the Manchester Drive-In, visit the State Historical Society’s Springfield Research Center inside MSU’s Meyer Library or find us online at SHSMO.org.