Lynbrook historical odds & ends: An open air theater in 1915

Art Mattson

Editors note: Lynbrook historical odds and ends is a column that takes a look back at some interesting facts and events in the village from over the years.

Drive-in movies did not arrive on Long Island until 1938, but decades earlier, in 1915, Lynbrook had one of the first “open air theatres” anywhere in America.

It was the Lynbrook Airdrome, at the “V” formed by Atlantic and Union avenues. The location was the former site of the Lynbrook Lyceum that burned down two years before, and which had also shown movies.

The Lynbrook Airdrome claimed to have seats for more than 1,000 people. On warm summer nights, moviegoers sat on bleachers and were treated to the latest silent movies. Breezes kept them cool in an era before air conditioning. Canvas awnings overhead and mosquito netting along the sides protected customers from the elements and the bugs. Admission was 10 cents for adults and five cents for children.

Mattson is the official Lynbrook village historian and a director of the Historical Society of East Rockaway and Lynbrook. Additionally, he is the author of “The History of Lynbrook,” which is available on Amazon.com and at local libraries.