RANCHO DRIVE-IN
Location:Euclid Avenue and Federal Blvd, San Diego
Year built:n/a
Operated by:n/a
Vehicle Capacity:n/a
Notes:It was located on the corner of Euclid Avenue and Federal Blvd. and billed
as "America's Most Beautiful Drive In Theatre." The backside of the screen
was an animated neon scene of a Mexican village, complete with saguaro cactus
and in the center a Mexican farmer with his ox-cart. The animation was of
the ox's head, moving slowly up and down as the cart's wheel turned. During the day,
the theatre was always clean. The side of the tower in your picture faced
the corner of Euclid Avenue and Federal Blvd., at about a 45-degree angle.
The tower was a soft green, and the artwork in your picture was painted on
the tower so it could be enjoyed during daylight too. Sometime in the '70's,
Standard Oil built a gas station on the triangular corner lot which
partially obscured the tower, but it was still a very nice place to go.
Many thanks to Russ Hamnett for this great information!
05/04/01. Courtesy Brian Kelly:
"The 'Rancho' property is now consumed by Cox Communications(cable TV
Co.). Several acres at Federal & Euclid. Also, there's a
McDonalds behind the Chevron station mentioned on your site."
