A landmark burned down in Tulsa last night -- the Admiral Twin Drive-in Theater

[fishwax]

http://www.tulsatoday.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2047:admiral-twin-burns&catid=58:local&Itemid=106
Looking over the ground that once housed a nine-story monster sized drive in screen, co-owner Blake Smith told Tulsa Today he is in shock. There is not much left except the foundation and artful concrete that lined the bottom of the screen tower. A cherished icon is reduced to mud and ash.

Built in 1952, first named The Modernaire, the Admiral Twin was a Tulsa Route 66 landmark. Smith purchased the Admiral Twin in 2000. As of 7:00 pm the cause of the fire was undetermined and Smith said the inspector was less than optimistic about discovering the cause because of the extent of the damage - not much remains. Smith said he would be willing to rebuild even to the original height, but a full restoration was unlikely as costs would be exorbitant.


The tower was not insured and Smith says they do not have the money to rebuild. With current building code, the tower would need to be made of metal and most likely different from the original.

The Admiral Twin was a landmark among drive-in theaters--it was built on Route 66, featured in the movie The Outsiders, and was partially the inspiration for Flamingo Rising, which is probably the most famous (okay, it's the only one, that I know of) novel about life in a drive-in theater. The screen was nine stories high and double-sided, showing a different set of films on each side. Too bad ...

[txwhitedove]

1. Memories... In first grade we lived on Independence. Next house was

near a new school on 73rd, and I could watch the drive-in movie from our backyard!

[fishwax]

4. :)

:)

[Heidi]

2. Noooooooooo!

A highlight of summer was Dad driving us over there (we lived in a Tulsa suburb when I was in grade school) to the drive-in. :-(

[fishwax]

3. Sorry to break the sad news

:(

I had several friends and co-workers from the Tulsa area, and they were all fond of it. And I was a huge fan of The Outsiders (and SE Hinton's other books) growing up, so even though I never went to the Admiral Twin myself (my home drive-in was the Winchester in OKC), I feel like it's a part of my childhood somehow :).

Hi Heidi! :hi:

[guitar man]

5. It's so sad

I just came across 244 a little while ago and it was really strange and sad that it wasn't there :cry: