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Coming Soon

A musical CD that captures Indy's golden era of hot rods and drive-ins. MORE »

cd

Al Green's refrigerator magnet

refrigerator magnet

When somebody turns a vanished historic restaurant into a refrigerator magnet, you know it must be a special place. Susan Diane Morrow Thompson of Indianapolis has sent in an Al Greens refrigerator magnet that she recently bought at the Indianapolis Art Center on 67th St. Thank you Susan!

 

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Columnist John Shaughnessey's eulogy of Al Green in the Indianapolis Star was recently sent in by Al Novotny, a Secina graduate. The column was written some time around 1996. Unfortuntately the clipping is undated. MORE »
Al Green almost tore down the drive-in to build a theme restaurant

DaleM

Rick Reeves recalls how Al Green thought about tearing down the drive-in and building a bigger restaurant with a steamboat theme. MORE »

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Napkin with Hoosier pride theme

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The day they tore Al's down.

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Bob's Big Boy of Los Angeles, built in the late 1940s, the same time Al's was built, and designed by Wayne McAllister, the all-time master designer of drive-ins. To read more about the National context, see our National page.

Southern Circle
Southern Circle, one of the drive-ins on the "Circuit." Photo courtesy of Dale.

A Greens
A legend in its time
Al Green’s drive-in opened on the Eastside of Indianapolis in 1947 and closed around 1994. By the 1970s it fell victim to changing lifestyles and rising gas prices. Today there is a car dealership in its place but many people still remember it as a fun place to eat fantastic food and hang out with friends. It was also the nation's first drive-in to offer phone curb service in 1953. It's a local story, yet it's universal, reflecting the social patterns of American life from the 50s through the 70s. Within this website you will learn some of the things that made Al Green's famous, why it fell into decline, and how it fit into the bigger picture.

Note the trap door in foreground above. Little did customers realize that below the parking lot were two underground wings used for storage and food preparation, a very unusual design feature for any commercial establishment, then or now.

Elvis Presley spotted at James Dean's grave in Fairland, IN

In 1955, a group of five teenagers from the Southside of Indianapolis piled into a Plymouth and headed for the grave of James Dean, who had died just weeks before. What they saw came as a complete surpise: Elvis Presley paying his respects. MORE »
James Dean

 
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Cruisin' the Circuit, 1957

Imagine traffic backed up more than a mile on Washington just to get in. Imagine the place being packed with kids till 2-4 AM every Friday and Saturday night, with bands regularly performing. Imagine teenagers meeting at Als then heading off to Shadeland to drag race before Shadeland was officially opened. Jack Varry didn't imagine it, he lived it, and he has just submitted a rivetting story that captures the peak years better than any I've seen. He also submitted some excellent photos. Thanks Jack! MORE »

Jack Varry sign shot

Photo taken by Jack Varry days before building was demolished in 1997.

• For another excellent story about drag racing in '57, see the new story about cruisin on the southside, One Hot Summer Night in '57.

Eastside artist captured Irvington, Al Greens, passes away

We have just learned the identity of the artist who depicted Al Greens in her collage of Irvington. Her name is Susie (Parker) Jones, a graduate of Howe in 1959. Sadly, she passed away December 4, 2009 from lung cancer. Susie did what is seldom done: she took time out in this fast-moving world to document the places she has lived in and loved. Though she spent the last 35 years of her life in Carmel, she never lost her nostalgia for Irvington where she grew up. Her drawing style is meticulous and factual, not overly romantic, yet full of passion.

Susie Jones sketch

Check back soon to learn where to purchase her artwork if there are any copies left for sale. Read her obituary here.

The Irvington collage can be viewed in the Gallery in the Al Greens folder.

Bob Ryan's 1991 visit

Bob became a fan of Al Greens in the 1980s and recalls stopping by to visit them in 1991, catching them on camera, their faces beaming brightly. MORE »

al and belle

Note: From Bob's 1991 pictures, it's clear the building was orignally painted tan, not pink, as shown in the 1997 video from which the 3D model was based. The model has just been updated to reflect the tan color. See it in the latest 3D Tour.