LINCOLN HIGHWAY NEWS IS A BLOG BY BRIAN BUTKO
Supervisors in Unity Twp., near Latrobe, Pennsylvania, have approved the demolition of the Hi-Way Drive-In Theater and its replacement by a CVS pharmacy. The outdoor theater is a beloved icon along the Lincoln Highway/U.S. 30.
Residents and drive-in fans tried protesting in recent months that the 51-year-old theater was popular with families, had a minimal or even pleasing impact on the landscape, and that CVS has a pharmacy less than a mile away at Mountain Laurel Plaza along Route 30. Nonetheless, the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reports that the screens and equipment will be razed, and construction will begin later this summer as soon as permits are issued.
“This isn’t anything against CVS … this is about taking a piece of our history for no apparent reason,” said Cindy Yutzy of Latrobe, adding that she believes that CVS could have found other land to purchase for a new pharmacy. “This is a piece of our history and, slowly, every piece of our history is going bye-bye because of big business.”
But landowner Richard Ridilla “wrote a letter to township officials indicating that, regardless of the outcome of the township’s negotiations with CVS, the drive-in and flea market would no longer be in operation” due to it not making a profit in recent year.
Check out the website while you can at www.hiwaydriveinlatrobe.com/.
Tags: drive-in theater, highway history, historic highway, Latrobe PA, Lincoln Highway, PA, pharmacy replacing history
Lincoln Highway News 
June 10, 2011 at 12:00 pm |
So sad! Hug your local drive-in if you still have one!
June 10, 2011 at 12:40 pm |
BUMMER 😦 I’ll let the Retro Roadcommunity know, so hopefully they’ll go out to the Drive ins near them so they remain viable. Dang CVS!
June 10, 2011 at 1:22 pm |
[…] got the sad news from Brian Butko’s Lincoln Highway News blog that the Hi Way Drive In Theatre in Latrobe PA is goin… and replaced by a CVS. So […]
June 10, 2011 at 1:43 pm |
It is about cvs…It is all about cvs…they destroyed three historic landmarks on the lincoln highway in omaha….threatened the city…and the city caved…a landmark historic church demolished down south for no good reason….they have been fined by DEA and the feds for hundreds of milions of dollars…the latest was $70.7 million…the largest fine ever imposed in the history of the DEA for failing to check ID’s in sale of ingredients for meth production
June 10, 2011 at 3:53 pm |
Our family stopped shopping at CVS when they bought and tore down the Col. Drake Hotel in Titusville,PA. When a company has total disregard for landmarks, I have a total disregard for the company.
October 11, 2011 at 11:20 pm |
[…] got the sad news from Brian Butko’s Lincoln Highway News blog that the Hi Way Drive In Theatre in Latrobe PA is goin… and replaced by a CVS. So […]
February 15, 2012 at 12:43 am |
This blog was started about nine months ago. I assume the drive-in is completely razed and the CVS is up and running by now? Whatever happened to all the drive-in abilia? window speakers, heaters, signs, the hearse, etc? If you know please email me. bid15789 at gmail.com