The Moonlite Theatre, also known as the Moonlite Drive-In, is a historic

drive-in theater A drive-in theater/theatre or drive-in cinema is a form of movie theater, cinema structure consisting of a large outdoor movie screen, a projection booth, a concession stand, and a large parking area for automobiles. Within this enclosed area, c ...

located near Abingdon,

Washington County, Virginia Washington County is a county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 53,935. Its county seat is Abingdon. Washington County is part of the Kingsport–Bristol–Bristol, TN-VA Metr ...

. It was built and opened in 1949, and 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 65-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.

Background

The Moonlite was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 2007, and was one of few drive-in theaters nationwide to be awarded that distinction.NRHP-listed drive-ins include 66 Drive-In,

Beverly Drive-In Theatre Beverly Drive-In Theatre opened May 29, 1948, as a cinema structure in Forrest County, Mississippi. It was operated continuously by the original owners until 1987, then reopened in 2001 under new management. Following substantial damage to the in ...

, Moonlite Theatre, and

Spud Drive-In Theater The Spud Drive-In Theater is a drive-in theater between Victor and Driggs, Idaho. Background Located in a potato-farming region, the theater's entrance sign features a giant potato on the back of a 1946 Chevrolet flat-bed truck. The drive-in wa ...

. The theater closed in 2013 and was in danger of being lost due to neglect. Some renovation work was begun in late 2016 under an agreement establishing joint ownership of the theater and through monetary and labor contributions from private individuals. Although these were not yet complete, it re-opened and began showing its traditional week-end double features in October 2016. As of March, 2017, the agreement that led to the renovations has come under dispute and a lawsuit has been filed. Beginning in 2020, the

Barter Theatre Barter Theatre, in Abingdon, Virginia, opened on June 10, 1933. It is the longest-running professional Equity theatre in the United States. History Concept In 1933, when the United States was in the middle of the Great Depression, many peo ...

started producing plays and staging them at the Moonlite Theatre due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Plays performed on a stage were simultaneously projected into the big screen, and audio was provided through

FM radio FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting that uses frequency modulation (FM) of the radio broadcast carrier wave. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to transmit high fidelity, high-f ...

. The Barter also put on a summer concert series at the drive-in during 2021. In 2024, the theater was bought by new owners, who plan to reopen in Late 2024

Notes

References

{{National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Drive-in theaters in the United States Theatres on the National Register of Historic Places in Virginia Theatres completed in 1949 Buildings and structures in Washington County, Virginia National Register of Historic Places in Washington County, Virginia 1949 establishments in Virginia 2013 disestablishments in Virginia

Background

See also

Notes

References