Hillside Drive-In
Capitol Heights, Maryland1953-1988
Order Hillside Drive-In tees, long sleeve tees and hoodies. The Hillside in Capitol Heights, Maryland, was built like a theater moved outdoors, with a stage at the base of the tower and giant masks of comedy and tragedy above four red stripes. It showed its last film in November 1988 and was the last drive-in in the Washington area. Browse the styles below, and the full Hillside history is further down. Down Home Apparel is an American small business remembering the best places and teams of yesteryear, and every shirt is printed to order in the USA.
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Hillside Drive-In History
The Hillside Drive-In in Capitol Heights, Maryland, opened on August 24, 1953, at 5210 Marlboro Pike, about a mile outside Washington, D.C., with Ride, Vaquero. The promoter Sidney Lust built it, and it held about 720 cars on 18 acres. There were also 250 outdoor seats for people who walked in, and two playgrounds.
It was built like a theater that had moved outdoors. A large stage stood at the base of the screen tower, with dressing rooms underneath. On the tower, giant masks of comedy and tragedy sat in a frame with the name in animated neon, above four long red stripes. Boxoffice gave it a two-page story in April 1954, and one account credits the design to the drive-in architect Jack Vogel.
The Wineland circuit bought it in 1956 and put its own name in script above the masks. The Winelands sold it to an independent operator in 1986. The last show ran in November 1988, a Chuck Norris picture and Night of the Demons, and it was the last drive-in in the Washington area.
The tower stood for several more years, with the masks still on it, while the state leased the lot for commuter parking. Sources put the demolition at 1993 or 1998. The site is now a baseball field that belongs to a community center nearby.