Rexburg drive-in permanently closing after 75 years. Here’s what’s happening with the property

REXBURG – A longtime drive-in theatre is closing its doors aft 75 years of operation.

Teton Vu Drive-in astatine 1114 North Yellowstone Highway successful Rexburg announced connected its Facebook page past week it is closing for bully connected August 24.

“We are sad to denote nan imperishable closure of nan Teton Vu Drive-In,” nan Facebook station says. “We are truthful grateful for each of your emotion and support passim nan years that we person been open.”

It will proceed to show movies done Aug. 24.

Theater proprietor Cameron Andrews tells EastIdahoNews.com they’ve been leasing nan onshore from nan spot proprietor and nan closure is owed to a improvement task that’s been successful nan useful for respective years.

“When we started this 15 years ago, we thought we’d beryllium fortunate to get 5 years. We knew afloat good it was premier improvement spot and that was nan inevitable end,” Andrews says.

He tried buying nan spot respective years ago, but yet decided against it because he knew moving a profitable seasonal business wouldn’t support up pinch nan spot value.

He appreciates nan owner’s willingness to fto them support operating until they were fresh to break crushed connected a caller development.

Steve Hansen is 1 of aggregate investors pinch HG Venture Properties, which owns nan property. He says they’ve finalized a statement pinch nan developer to build 50 townhomes and 120 apartments connected nan property.

“It’s successful a really bully spot and it’s correct location connected nan separator of Rexburg wherever it’s increasing really fast,” Hansen says. “We’ve sewage a batch of accusation showing Rexburg needs a batch much lodging for really galore group are moving in.”

The task is awaiting support from nan city, but Hansen is hoping nan task will get underway successful September.

He anticipates nan full task taking astir 3 years to complete, pinch nan first information estimated to return astir 2 years.

‘It was successful because nan organization sewage down it’

Andrews took complete nan lease for Teton Vu successful 2009. The Vail Family operated nan business earlier him and it had been vacant for respective years erstwhile he took it over.

The acquisition of Teton Vu Drive-in happened aft he’d merged nan aged Holiday and Paramount Twin into Paramount 5, which he besides owns.

“We opened (Teton Vu) wrong six aliases 7 weeks of gathering nan landlord and sewage it opened up and running,” Andrews recalls.

Tom Goe owned nan Teton Vu spot astatine 1 point, which he planned to develop. It ne'er panned retired and HG Venture Properties bought it successful 2022.

Teton Vu Drive-in first opened successful nan early 1950s. Andrews isn’t judge who nan original proprietor was but he still has nan first projector.

“It was built earlier movie was connected platters,” Andrews explains. “One projector ran a reel. When that reel ran out, they deed commencement connected nan adjacent projector and loaded nan first one. It conscionable bounced backmost and forth.”

Old movie projector astatine Teton Vu Drive-in. | Google photo taken by John Russell successful 2016

It’s changed hands galore times complete nan years and survived nan Teton Dam Flood successful 1976.

“After nan flood, it was remodeled and nan diner building was added. They besides added a surface to make it wider,” says Andrews.

Though drive-in theaters had been declining successful caller years, Andrews says nan COVID-19 pandemic contributed to their emergence successful popularity.

“For a while, that was nan only measurement you could spell to a movie,” Andrews says. “Since then, we’ve seen a surge of companies putting successful multi-screen drive-ins.”

Hansen is moving pinch Andrews to springiness nan theatre a “nice sendoff” earlier it closes permanently. It’s not clear what that will look for illustration because those specifications are still being finalized. Information will beryllium forthcoming astatine a later date.

Andrews expresses gratitude to nan developers for honoring nan theater’s history.

“I’ve really been impressed. They’re not looking to conscionable level nan drive-in and move on. They admit nan history and its worth successful nan organization complete nan past 75 years,” says Andrews. “They’re uncovering ways to incorporated parts of nan original surface into nan architecture (of their development).”

Andrews is grateful for nan organization support complete nan years and looks guardant to celebrating 75 years of operation.

“People admit that it’s a small, hometown business and it was tally that way,” he says. “It was successful because nan organization sewage down it.”

He invites patrons to spot a movie while they still can. Movies showing this week are “Despicable Me 4” and “Twisters.” The double characteristic originates nightly astatine 9:40 p.m.