Evans Drive-In
Denver, Colorado1954-1978
Shop Evans Drive-In tees, long sleeve tees and hoodies. The Denver theater held about 600 cars plus a walk-in section with 130 seats. In 1965 its owner installed a system that sent sound to car radios over low-power AM instead of wired speakers. Its sign had a small board at the top reading New. Pick a style below, then read the full Evans history further down. We are an American small business bringing back the signs and logos of places and teams that are long gone but remembered fondly.
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Evans Drive-In History
The Evans Drive-In in Denver, Colorado, opened on August 11, 1954, with Elizabeth Taylor in Elephant Walk and Cleo Moore in Bait. It stood at 2705 West Evans Avenue with room for about 600 cars, plus a walk-in section with 130 seats for people who came on foot. R.L. "Mickey" and Ola Stanger built it, and Boxoffice later reported that Mickey Stanger designed it himself.
Stanger liked to try things. In 1965 Boxoffice gave a full page to the Minicast system he had installed, which sent the sound to car radios over low-power AM in place of wired speakers. Customers could also borrow car heaters at the concession stand. The Stangers ran it until 1969 and then leased it out.
The sign was a stack of shaped boards. A small one at the top read New, a wide one below it read Evans and Drive-In Theatre, and an orange arrow ran over the marquee. No source says what the New referred to.
De Lux Theatres took over from Cooper-Highland Theatres in early 1977, and Boxoffice reported a dollar a carload for three features. A researcher's booking list runs through 1978, and a 1980 map shows strip-mall buildings on the lot. A grocery store stands there now.