When Hyattsville Had One of the DC Area’s Largest Drive-Ins

Back in the day, Hyattsville had one of the D.C. area’s largest drive-ins with neighboring Beltsville and Laurel also having drive-ins.

Built on the former site of the Queenstown Airport, the Queens Chapel Drive-In Theatre opened on July 29, 1955, with a double-bill with James Stewart in “Strategic Air Command” and Ronald Reagan in “The Last Outpost”.

Located off Queens Chapel Road near Ager Road, the drive-in had a large CinemaScope screen, the first stereophonic speakers in the greater D.C. area and a capacity of about 1,000 cars — one of the largest in the area.

The drive-in had a tendency to flood during heavy rains — even trapping three employees in the concession building in 1967.

In 1983, WMATA took over the land through eminent domain to build the West Hyattsville Metro station and the drive-in closed.

The coronavirus has hit the movie industry hard, with theaters across the country shut down for safety reasons as Americans binge on Netflix.

But social distancing has revived drive-in movie theaters.

The hosts of the Tribeca Festival are screening classics like “Jaws” and “Apollo 13” at makeshift drive-ins across the country this summer. Wal-Mart is converting 160 parking lots to temporary drive-in theaters.

Locally, Lot 8 of the Robert F. Kennedy Stadium will be converted to a drive-in this summer, while Union Market is reviving its drive-in series.

For now, there are no plans for a drive-in revival on Route 1, although the Mall at Prince Georges and University Town Center, among other places, have sufficient parking to possibly bring back one.