The 88 Drive-In theater has been a local staple for over 50 years, and now it’s closing its doors according to the City Government of Commerce City.
“We’ve been seeing a lot of conversation emerge this week about the 88 Drive-In related to the zoning case that is on the agenda for Monday’s City Council meeting,” says the Facebook post. “The owners of the 88 Drive-in Theater have chosen to step away from their business and go in a different direction for the future of that property.”
The Holshue family has owned the theaters since 1976 and is currently ran by Susan Kochevar and Margret Holshue reports Westword.
“There’s gonna be no more history in Colorado its all gonna be under stupid apartments and wearhouses,” writes Amara Rodriguez in the comment section on the Facebook announcement.
The comment section has residents divided on what the grounds should be. According to the post, the theater will be turned into another warehouse.
“Sounds like maybe they had a good offer and just don’t want to bad mouth the city,” says Blake Thomas ” It sucks because they’re are few remaining gems from when i was a kid left. Guess that’s what happens when you’re about to turn 30 lol
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While social media continues to have a discussion about the closing of the theater and the continued closing of landmarks around the state, a rep from the city released a statement to Westword to “set the record straight.”
“The 88 Drive-In would like to set the record straight and tell you about our reasons for selling our beloved drive-in theatre,” the statement says. “Firstly, this decision was not made lightly and was a joint decision of the family. We are not a big, greedy corporation. We are one small family with a family-run business. We were not approached by any buyers prior to putting the property up for sale. The property was put up for sale about two years ago, and has been under contract for about 18 months. We realize that there is also a current community need to expand 88th Ave and Rosemary to accommodate the explosion in population in the area, and we feel the land is at its highest and best use for the community in the re-development plan the buyer has created.”
