The Hocking Drive-In Theatre & The Logan Roundhouse/Stewart's Folly
 |
| - Hocking Drive-In Theatre marquee, 2015. |
Photographs dug up from a few years ago: an abandoned drive-in and a peculiar, round house.
 |
| - Hocking Drive-In ticket booth, 2015. |
Came across this collection of photographs when I was digging up the McDonald’s Pizza story. I had originally photographed the Hocking Drive-In Theatre over a decade ago when I was going to college on the other side of the state. QC/D was in its infancy then and instead of writing a full fledged article, I just uploaded some quick photos and never said much about the drive-in or its backstory.
 |
| - Remnants of the Hocking Drive-In circa 2007. |
 |
| - Ticket booth, 2007. |
 |
| - Ticket booth interior and cat, 2007. |
 |
| - Ticket booth, 2007. |
While on that McDonald’s road trip in 2015, I found myself passing by The Hocking once more. The marquee was still standing, so was the ticket booth. The screen’s support structure remained, but the screen itself had finally fallen down.
The Hocking opened in June, 1953 while showing the films Too Young to Kiss and Wagons West. I'm not sure when it closed, but a few internet sources vaguely state: "the 80s." Apparently the land is now marketed as an "event center" specializing in car shows and flea markets. A new vinyl sign partially covers the old marquee.
The Hocking is one of several abandoned drive-ins I’ve photographed over the years. The others are The Miracle (Flint, MI), The Oakley (Cincinnati, OH), The Lake (Mt. Orab, OH), and The Decatur (Decatur, IN).
 |
| - Screen remnants, 2015. |
On that same day in 2015, we also came across the Logan Roundhouse. Despite all the time I spent on this particular side of Ohio and all the wandering I did there between 2007 and 2009, I had never seen this place before.
 |
| - Logan Roundhouse/Stewart's Folly, 2015. |
Often referred to as "Stewart's Folly," the story goes that the spherical house was designed as a prototype in the early 70s. It was intended to be a model for new age homes that could withstand hurricanes and tornadoes.
Apparently, though, it couldn't withstand fires. The building went up in flames in the Summer of 2016 and is reportedly now demolished.
 |
| - The road home in 2015. |
More stories pulled "from the archives."
Other abandoned Drive-Ins documented on the Urban Exploration section of QC/D:
- The Skyborn (Fairborn, OH)
- The Melody (Springfield, OH)
- The Wilmington (Wilmington, OH)
- The Sunset (Mansfield, OH)
- The Miracle Twin (Flint, MI)
- The Lake (Mt. Orab, OH)
- The Oakley (Cincinnati, OH)
- The Decatur (Decatur, IN)