{"nrhp_refnum":"07000802","name":"Moonlite Theatre","other_names":["Moonlite Drive-in","095-5256"],"category":"building","location":{"address":"17555 Lee Highway","address_restricted":false,"city":"Abingdon","county":"Washington County","state":"VA","lat":36.67839812650004,"lon":-82.04864672975992,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2007-08-08","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Entertainment/Recreation"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A drive-in theatre on U.S. Highway 11 (Lee Highway) just southwest of Abingdon, Washington County, Virginia, built in spring 1949 and opened that summer on a 13.29-acre site.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the theatre is significant under Criterion A in entertainment and recreation as a rare, highly intact surviving drive-in from the heyday of the form. It is one of only eight drive-ins operating in Virginia and has run continuously since 1949. It is also a beloved local landmark celebrated in country-western songs.","narrative":"Drive-in movie going survives at this theatre on Lee Highway, southwest of Abingdon, Virginia. Built in spring 1949 and opened that summer, it occupies 13.29 acres and keeps its original layout: a 65-foot steel-frame screen tower clad in corrugated metal, a ticket booth, a concession and projection building, and a neon attraction board by the highway. A long entrance drive leads to 454 reverse-incline parking spaces arranged in a semicircle around the screen, with surviving pole speakers. Local businessman T. D. Fields first operated the theatre, and it has run continuously since opening. It is one of only eight drive-ins operating in Virginia and one of the earlier survivals of the type. Its fame also rests on two country-western songs about it, played before shows. The nomination treats it as a highly intact example from the heyday of drive-ins and as a landmark of regional entertainment, with a period of significance of 1949 to 1957.","period_of_significance":"1949-1957","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Other: drive-in theatre","criteria":["A"],"status_note":"Still operating; opens each year in early April and has operated continuously since 1949. Described as in excellent condition, though the pole speaker system is in poor repair and audio is broadcast over FM radio.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:02.902257-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/69/6840/41684069/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_VA/07000802.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07000802/016b3455d5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/07000802/016b3455d5-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Cecouchman","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MoonlightTheatre_0925.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Cecouchman</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:MoonlightTheatre_0925.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/41684069","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moonlite_Theatre","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q15255954"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/washington-county/moonlite-theatre-07000802/"}