Wayback Houston: Texas Drive-In and Brochsteins
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For our newsletter's Wayback Houston series this week, we asked readers to identify what this popular attraction was from the 1940s.
The big picture: The aerial photo depicts the Texas Drive-In, also called the South Main Drive-In, which was Houston's first movie drive-in. It opened in June 1940.
The intrigue: One reader — Matt W. — correctly guessed the intersection, which is Main Street/U.S. 90 near Holmes Road.
Catch up quick: The area is now mostly unrecognizable after decades of redevelopment and the theater's closure during the nationwide decline of drive-ins.
Yes, but: Brochsteins — visible southeast of the theater in the 1944 aerial image — is still standing in 2026.
- Houston brothers Isaac and Sam Brochstein opened shop in 1935 to design high-end furniture for banks and other businesses. During World War II, they shifted to making parts for the B-24 Liberator bomber.
State of play: Brochsteins now specializes in architectural millwork, designing and building custom wood interiors for commercial buildings.
- Its portfolio includes work on prominent buildings and offices across the Bayou City.
The bottom line: Houston's first drive-in theater disappeared long ago, but Brochsteins remains part of the city's industrial landscape.