Piedmont Drive-In theatre

[Will Dockery]

A recent trip to Atlanta, and bemoaning my old stomping grounds of the
early 1980s being paved over with buildings led me to discover the
past of that area, Peidmont Road: "...My memories of the area are from
around the 1979-84 time period when I lived and worked near there,
worked at Carolina Lumber & Supply a bit to the south of this area, on
Plaster Bridge Road, and the memories are very vivid. At that time,
the Atlanta Flea Market was there, in a building that looked like it
was once a department store, although I reckon it could have been the
former location of Hastings Nursery, which by that time was located
out Lindberg Drive at the corner of Cheshire Bridge Road, a few blocks
to the east of Piedmont Road, across from the Varisty Jr.

Next to the Flea Market on one side was Shoney's (the caving in
building can still be seen there today), and across the street, across
Lindberg, from the Flea Market was (in 1979-80) the empty building
that once was a Copperfield's nightclub.

Across from there was the small strip that housed Ken's Tavern and
Harvest Moon Saloon, a couple of hopping nightspots for us working
class types of the early 1980s. Past that going up Piedmont, and
across from the fairly huge Flea Market space was a Sizzling Steaks,
and a Zesto's, which, amazingly, is also still in the same spot. Then
Broadview Plaze, which was anchored by K-Mart, Picadilly Cafe, and the
Screening Room Theaters mentioned earlier. What isn't mentioned is
that before becoming movie theaters, the location was the Great
Southeastern Music Hall, where many great rock, pop and country acts
performed... including the Sex Pistols with their American debut
shows!

Piedmont Drive in was before all this by over a decade, and it was
forgotten by the time I arrived..."

http://cinematreasures.org/theaters/18519