| Address | 13166 W Ozark Trail Sapulpa, Oklahoma United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 35°59′40″N 96°08′25″W / 35.9945°N 96.1404°W |
| Type | drive-in theater |
| Capacity | 400 cars[1] |
| Screens | 1 |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1949 |
| Opened | May 5, 1950 |
| Years active | 1950–1982, 1983–1999, 2023–present |
| Website | |
| https://www.teepeedrivein.com/ | |
Tee Pee Drive-In is a historic drive-in theater located on an old alignment of U.S. Route 66 in Sapulpa, Oklahoma. The drive-in theatre was first built in 1949 and opened on May 5, 1950.[2] The theatre used a type of paving for its pathways, unlike other drive-ins at the time which used dirt pathways.[1]
The Tee Pee Drive-In ran smoothly through the 1950s, showing movies to thousands of people. On May 5, 1960, exactly 10 years after the drive-in theatre first opened, an F5 tornado struck the town of Sapulpa, nearly destroying the drive-in theatre. However, the theatre was back up and running a month later after repairs were made. The drive-in experienced two different break-ins a week apart later that year. In August 1966, a fire broke out at the theatre, destroying the concession stand.[1]
Drive-In theatres across the nation began to die out during the 1970s and 1980s thanks to the rise of indoor movie theatres. The Tee Pee Drive-In wasn't spared from these closures when its owner, Video Theatres, closed the drive-in theatre along with many others in 1982.[1] The theatre remained closed for about 18 months before new owners bought the property from Video Theatres, reopening the drive-in theatre on March 18, 1983. The theatre was passed around to different owners through the 1980s and 1990s before being closed again in 1999. The drive-in sat abandoned for just over two decades, deteriorating further and further through time.[1]
In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic led to the practice of social distancing, which in turn led to a resurgence in drive-in theatres that remained open across the nation. This led a local group to purchase the abandoned Tee Pee Drive-In property in 2021, which made renovations to the property over the next two years, including 12 Spartan trailers that can be rented on Airbnb. The Tee Pee Drive-In reopened on April 15, 2023.[1][3]
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Tee Pee Drive-In". Abandoned Oklahoma. January 4, 2022. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
- ↑ Smith, Jessie Ch (April 1, 2023). "Historic Oklahoma drive-in theater near Route 66 reopening in April". The Oklahoman. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
- ↑ https://ktul.com/news/local/sapulpa-drive-in-theater-reopens-after-24-years