Shankweiler’s Drive-In Theatre first opened in 1934 and has been in continuous operation ever since. The theater was named for its founder, Wilson Shankweiler, a prominent entrepreneur and hotel owner in the Lehigh Valley. The second drive-in theater ever built, Shankweiler’s Drive-In preceded the flood of outdoor cinemas that would sprout up across the country in the mid-1950s. Though pop-up style outdoor movies existed in the 1930s, few were permanently-constructed venues, and none catered specifically to automobiles. Shankweiler’s Drive-In drew inspiration and design elements from its only predecessor, the short-lived…
