Gem City Drive-In
Quincy, Illinois1950-1971
Order Gem City Drive-In tees, long sleeve tees and hoodies. The 500-car Gem City opened on 36th Street in the spring of 1950, and in 1951 manager Robert Ellery put Grand Ole Opry shows on a stage at the drive-in. It closed in 1971 and was torn down to make room for Quincy's new senior high school. Choose a style below, and the full Gem City history is 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.
4 products
Gem City Drive-In History
The Gem City Drive-In in Quincy, Illinois, had its grand opening in the spring of 1950 on 36th Street between Maine and State. It took its name from Quincy's old nickname, the Gem City. It was a 500-car project built by the Gem City Drive-In Corporation. The Exhibitor named Robert Ellery its manager in August 1950, and he was still listed in that job through late 1952. Listings that give 1953 as its opening are wrong by three years.
Ellery tried more than movies. In 1951 he put Grand Ole Opry shows on a stage at the drive-in and said other troupes would follow. A folded program from those years, with a jockey in a gold oval on the cover, spends a whole panel on one piece of advice, telling readers to attend the movies more often because they are better than ever. In 1955 it joined the city's indoor houses in running a shared theatre clock in the Quincy papers.
It was a seasonal house. The Exhibitor reported it opening for its 1952 season in March, and in November 1954 the Motion Picture Herald said it had to close earlier than planned because the weather turned bad. The Kerasotes chain later ran it. The Gem City closed in 1971 and was torn down to make room for Quincy's new senior high school.