National Drive-in Museum

Save Our Screen is launching a national campaign to collect, preserve, and honor the historic importance of Drive-in Americana culture.

PHASES I II III

Phase 1

During the summer of 2022, SOS signed to purchase the land currently occupied by the Sundance Drive-in and leased by Great Eastern Theatre Company through December 2022. The Sundance is planned to continue operation for the 2022/2023 season as a traditional first run drive-in theater.

Phase II

With support from key partners and the community, we will acquire the adjoining lots and begin developing the space for the building of The National Museum of Drive-in Theatres.

Phase III

The National Museum of Drive-in Theatres will be dedicated to the preservation of historic artifacts, stories, memorabilia, and the pioneer spirit of Drive-in Americana.

Preserving History

with your help!

Rise and Decline of the Drive-in

Between 1941 and 1955, Lucas County residents could select from eight different drive-ins to visit: Lake Erie/Maumee (1941), Telegraph (1946), Toledo/Franklin Park (1946), Parkside/Sundance Kid (1949), East Side/Woodville/Butch Cassidy (1949), Jesse James (1953), Miracle Mile (1954), and the Star-Lite (1955).

As indoor cinemas became commonplace and the population of Northwest Ohio began to sprawl outward looking to purchase land, the Toledo Drive-Ins began to close starting with the Star-Lite Drive-In located on Monroe Street in Sylvania in 1969, and the majority of drive-ins closing in the 1980s.

Northwest Ohio was not alone...

At the peak of the Drive-in Americana Era - the U.S. had over 4,000 drive-in theaters from coast-to-coast.

Unfortunately, according to the United Drive-In Theatre Owners Association (UDITOA), only 318 drive-ins are still in operation today, even while drive-ins remain one of the most important pieces of modern American history.