17555 Lee Highway, Abingdon, Virginia. County/parish: Washington.
Added to the National Register of Historic Places August 08, 2007. NRIS 07000802.
3 contributing buildings. 1 contributing site. 2 contributing structures.Also known as:
The Moonlite Theatre, also known as the Moonlite Drive-In, is a historic drive-in theater located near Abingdon, Washington County, Virginia. It was built by businessman TD Field (Thomas Dewey)who owned multiple business and theatres including TD Field Lumber Company in Concord, NC. Some of the theatres he owned were The Beacon in Bristol, TN; Clinch Theatre in Tazwell, VA; Lee Theatre in Bluefield, VA; Midway Theatre in Keen Mountain, VA; and Valley Theatre in North Tazwell, VA. He may have also owned Zephyr Theatre in Abingdon, VA (which is now an antique store) and Coal Town Theatre. The first movie to ever play at the Moonlite was on June 9, 1949 called "Down To Earth" starring Rita Hayworth and Larry Parks. The Moonlite boasted a playground and a 19 hold miniature golf course. In the early 1960's (1964 or 1965) the Moonlite was purchased by Walter and Beulah Mays (affectionately known as Whitey and Boots). In 1992 they sold the Moonlite to William Ottway Booker who owned it until his death in 2017. The Moonlite remained one of the few drive-ins still open in Virginia until finally closing in 2013. The theater reopened briefly in 2016 but closed shortly after due to a pending lawsuit. Remaining original buildings and structures include the 55-foot-tall screen tower and office wing, the ticket booth, the concession stand/projector booth building, and the neon-illuminated attraction board at the edge of the highway. The theatre includes 454 parking/viewing spaces designed as reverse-incline ramps.
(read more...)National Park Service documentation: https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41684069