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Limestone Drive-in
Status: Closed
Location: 930 N. Main Street, Old Rte 219, Limestone, NY 14753
Screens: 1
Capacity: 400 cars
Original owner: Built by Clifford Brown.
Opening date: August 4, 1950
Final season: 1987

What's there now:

Original Limestone Drive-in: Rte 219 is directly over the area between the where the original screen used to be and the snackbar building, snackbar is being used as a kitchen by VFW post , marquee is being used as an advertising billboard on the east side of Route 219, all other structures have been demolished.

New Limestone Drive-in: Snackbar is being used as an auto repair shop, parking ramps are still intact, all other structures have been demolished.

This page was last updated on March 1, 2023.

There were actually two Limestone Drive-ins, one which opened on August 4, 1950, and another which was built as a replacement due to the relocation of Rte 219 directly on top of the original drive-in.

The original Limestone Drive-in was built on the west side of what is now referred to as N. Main Steet, but was once the original Rte 219, and needed to be relocated since the new Rte 219 would pass in between the original snackbar and where the original screen used to be. The new Limestone Drive-in was moved to the east side of N. Main Street (the original Rte 219), but was pushed almost 1/4 mile back from the road to prevent traffic from tying up the roadway.

The new drive-in was literally carved from the side of the hill, so that each row going from front to back had a noticeably higher elevation, like a natural amphitheatre.  The Limestone closed for good after the 1987 season, and both snackbar buildings from the original and new drive-ins were still standing and in use as of 2007.

-- Courtesy of Rick Cohen

 

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Topo Map from 1976, courtesy of TerraServer USA. Aerial image from 1955, courtesy of the Cattaraugus County Soil and Water Conservation District. Aerial image from 1966, courtesy of the Cattaraugus County Soil and Water Conservation District. Aerial image from 2006, courtesy of Google Earth.
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Aerial close-up image from 2006, courtesy of Google Earth. Grand opening tomorrow ad from the Olean Times Herald on August 3, 1950. Limestone Drive-in original neon marquee from 1999, courtesy of Jack Cindrich. Limestone Drive-in original snackbar from 2007, courtesy of Rick Cohen.
Click on image to view at full size. Click on image to view at full size.    
Limestone Drive-in relocated snackbar from 2007, courtesy of Rick Cohen. Limestone Drive-in relocated parking ramps from 2007, courtesy of Rick Cohen.    

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