Skateland Camden / Alpine Skating Center 1715 Mt. Ephraim Ave., Camden, NJ. Courtesy of Susan A. Miller Collection.
Skateland Camden / Alpine Skating Center 1715 Mt. Ephraim Ave., Camden, NJ. Nice photo in 2023. Moo! More and more towns are having such animals like this set up with art on it. This one has a cow. Courtesy of Google Maps.
Skateland Camden / Alpine Skating Center 1715 Mt. Ephraim Ave., Camden, NJ. Taken in 2023. Noticed how nice the current owner of the former Skateland rink posted a memorial plague on the wall? And no wonder the current laundromat has a name likely after Skateland called E Laundryland. It even has nice disco lights in the laundromat! Courtesy of Google Maps. Copyrighted photoshop by Rink-History (cottage, zoom)
Skateland Camden / Alpine Skating Center 1715 Mt. Ephraim Ave., Camden, NJ. It is currently as E Laundrymat. Wow! I never seen a Laundromat so.. night club style self-service laundromat. I love the arched pillars and trusses. Really modern. It covered up the original as you can see in the post card in the first photo on top. Really bluesy! Rinks were one of the first then disco halls, then you can see at bowling alleys and now, laundromats. Welcome to disco/night life, laundromats! Now, I am sure if I was there, I would ask a nice lady for a nice slow dance if they have such music like that while waiting for our wash and dry are done. Heehee. Courtesy of E Laundromat.
Skateland Camden / Alpine Skating Center 1715 Mt. Ephraim Ave., Camden, NJ. The Opening Day advertisement for Wednesday 19 December 1945 opening. Courtesy of Courier Post 17 December 1945. Copyrighted by Rink-History (cleaned up, removal of bad dark photocopying, some letterings has to be retyped).
Skateland Camden / Alpine Skating Center 1715 Mt. Ephraim Ave., Camden, NJ. Dragging means you are using your top stops at a very long slow pace that you are dragging on the floor. Causing friction and even cause normal pacing skaters to bump into you or trip you or even yourself to a fall. Even grooving the wooden floor. Dragging also is a type of dance as explained in the article. Courtesy of Billboard 10 August 1946, page 85, 2nd column.
Skateland Camden / Alpine Skating Center 1715 Mt. Ephraim Ave., Camden, NJ . Courtesy of Rink-History.
Skateland Camden / Alpine Skating Center 1715 Mt. Ephraim Ave., Camden, NJ . Courtesy of Rink-History.
Skateland Camden / Alpine Skating Center 1715 Mt. Ephraim Ave., Camden, NJ . A card. Courtesy of Rink-History.
Skateland Camden / Alpine Skating Center 1715 Mt. Ephraim Ave., Camden, NJ . Another decal. They had a lot of decals that are different designs. Courtesy of Rink-History.
Alpine Skating Center 1715 Mt. Ephraim Ave., Camden, NJ
Skateland Camden 1715 Mt. Ephraim Ave., Camden, NJ
Domestic Laundry and Dry Cleaning 1715 Mt. Ephraim Ave., Camden, NJ
Master Laundry 1715 Mt. Ephraim Ave., Camden, NJ
E Laundryland 1715 Mt. Ephraim Ave., Camden, NJ
Skateland Camden 1715 Mt. Ephraim Ave., Camden, NJ
Domestic Laundry and Dry Cleaning 1715 Mt. Ephraim Ave., Camden, NJ
Master Laundry 1715 Mt. Ephraim Ave., Camden, NJ
E Laundryland 1715 Mt. Ephraim Ave., Camden, NJ
Alpine Skating Center as well as Skateland Camden were at 1715 Mt. Ephraim Avenue, Camden, New Jersey. Originally it was Skateland Camden first. Then Alpine Skating Center. And now shopping plaza.
Many kids went skating and skate dancing long before Camden own Dance Party USA (1986 to 1992) were ever around and even down the road from Philadelphia where the American Bandstand was held from 1952 to 1989. Skating was king. Dang, I wish I could have gone down to American Bandstand in my teens to meet those gorgeous teens. I was too old for Dance Party USA, thank you! Haha. Now they are adults.. I like that one with HUGE curly hair. Cindy I think is her name.. Ok, sorry, lets get back to here.
The owner/operator was Nicholas "Nick" Mekosh who ran from its opening on Wednesday, 19 December 1945 to 1970 operating a 15,000 Square Foot Hardwood Maple floor and added Epoxy or Polyurethane coat in 1968.
Before the rink was opened in 1945, it was Domestic Laundry and Dry Cleaning followed by Master Laundry. Then the rink. This building sure had many businesses come and go. Up to this day, it was 5 businesses occupying the building since early century.
Nicholas Mekosh retired and sold the rink to the next owner however, it was leased by a couple by the names of Theodore and Sue Rendfrey who ran only for three years from 1970 to 1973. This couple owned and operated another rink in Cherry Hill in 1973. Likely they canceled the lease and owned the Cherry Hill rink to focus on that other rink. It is possible but not sure. Do not know reason why they closed.
Currently, the building is used for retail suites with several small businesses including the newest laundromat! Yes, it is back to the laundromat. But also other businesses according to Google Maps. Including a cafe, a tiny meat market, and a furniture outlet.
The rink was up front, not the back building where the current tire and auto repair shop is.
Moooo.. a plastic statue of a male bull (cow) standing by the entrance.
When the rink closed in 1973, the building looked depleted and abandoned until they renovated in 2017. The largest tenant today is the, third charmed Laundromat called, E Laundryland. A take on both as it was originally a laundromat in pre-1945 and the Skateland. Maybe! Some people would do that as honor.
E Laundryland opened in 2017/2018 and still is operational. Their interior.. wow! Looks very much like a.. roller rink? Judge this for yourself as you can see in the photo. What you think? If yes, the lights really make it like it was a roller rink of someplace.
The walking score is impressive at 75 out of 100 and from what I saw on Zillow and Google Maps, there were a lot of residential houses so they were able to walk to the rink. The closure in 1973 was no excuses then. I do not know why. Anyway, Bicycling is at 50 percent. Some more limits. Perhaps the roads were busy and dangerous for cyclists. For public transportation, the opening day advertisement even mentioned 4 bus routes for non-drivers. It is scored at 48 out of 100. It is fair. Not bad.
Note- there are more ads and articles but I will post eventually as I will need to clean them up. This is why I prefer to have volunteers who can help out clean up articles, things like that.
The Interior.
The roller rink floor was 15,000 Square Feet using Hardwood Maple floor. It was finally covered with perhaps a Polyurethane coat or Epoxy. That was pretty big floor.
They had windows from wall to wall on each side to help brighten up inside. It was very modern looking interior for its time. Open ceiling with exposed Steel beams wall to wall.
The Exterior.
The front appeared to be two story. Likely upstairs was an office or the owners' apartment or a leased/rented apartment as the rink was on ground floor. The rear part was Gabled roof for this Cinderblocks Industrial looking building. It was originally designed for the laundromat.
The Stats:
1945 to 1969 Rink Size: 15,000 SF Floor: Non-painted Hardwood Maple Floor Layout: N/A.
1969 to 1973 Rink Size: 15,000 SF Floor: Plyurethane or Epoxy coated Hardwood Maple.
Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: N/A. Renovations: N/A. Demolished: Still standing.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Cinderblocks - Walled Industrial factory - like Building.
Roof: Flatted (front only), Gabled.
Acres: N/A.
Architect: N/A.
Contractor: N/A.
Interior Designer: N/A.
Organ: N/A.
10 Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Duck Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Candlestick Bowling Lanes: None.
Pocket Billiard Tables: N/A.
Air Hockey Tables: N/A.
Foosball Table: N/A.
Basketball Speed: N/A.
Amusement Rides: None.
Driving Range Slots: None.
Miniature Golf Course: None.
Arcade: (Number unknown)
Skee-Ball: N/A.
Fascination: None.
Restaurant: None.
Cocktail lounge: None.
Laser Tag: None.
Bounce Houses: None.
Bumper Cars: None.
Go-Kart: None.
Motel: None.
Swimming Pool: None.
Jungle Gym Playground: None.
Skate Park: None.
Theater (movie/stage): None.
Dance Center: None.
Picnic Grove: None.
Operated: (Overall)-- Wednesday, 19 December 1945 to 1973
Alpine Skating Center: Wednesday, 19 December 1945 to 1 March 1970
Skateland Camden: 1 March 1970 to 1973
Domestic Laundry and Dry Cleaning: Pre -1945 to N/A.
Master Laundry: Pre -1945 to N/A.
(Many businesses after rink closed): All post 1973, was abandoned for a while.
Reason for Closure:
Alpine Skating Center: Retirement, sold to building owner, business leased to new owners.
Skateland Camden: Unknown but likely the Leasee opened a rink in Cherry Hill and focus on that rink.
Domestic Laundry and Dry Cleaning: N/A.
Master Laundry: N/A.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also, photos/articles. Also send me any updates such as reopening, sold, name changes, or whatsoever occurred with this rink or any rinks. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at Rink-History©. Before you email, please state this rink name AND THE CITY AND STATE (or COUNTRY) so I can know where or what rink you are talking about. Thank you. We welcome both active and defunct rinks.
Sources:
Sources are listed in gallery.
Google Maps
Billboard - 10 August 1946, page 85, 2nd column.
Zillow - Property records.
Date of issue: 09 July 2023.
Updated: 10 July 2023.
For office use only: 10.
Worth to visit:
None. Building still stands, now some retail offices.
DISCLAIMER:
International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© (formerly known as Dead-Rinks) and Mark Falso are not responsible for your physical and legal injuries you may have caused. We do not endorse such illegal activities including breaking and entry of former rinks, malls, abandoned buildings, etc. Please always obey laws and regulations and property owner's signs. Some states allow purple paint on fence which means they even have guns on their property and have rights to shoot you. Please DO NOT attempt to enter property without permission!
For abandoned rinks, after you receive permission, do WEAR safety OSHA equipment including a safety glasses, pair of safety gloves, an orange vest or a jacket, and a construction helmet.
Thank you for understanding.
Dead Rinks is now International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© because many former names have become new names at the same rinks that are still active and due to much confusion, We have decided that International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© fits better for all rinks including defunct, closed, inactive, rebooted, and rinks that are still active today. For short on this site, it is International Roller Skating Rinks History© Bear with us as we change the entire site page by page each day. Thank you for understanding.
Second of all: The contents including words and photos above on this page and/or on any pages are purely educational entertainment purposes only. I provide what information from other websites, skaters, and operators and it may end up with different results between two (or more) sources. It is not our responsible for errors we caused. All sources are shown on each page. All opinions and statements of mine are also stated and are for purely educational entertainment only.
Rinks that are closed are considered dead. Rinks that are/were sold and with new management names new name(s), the former are considered dead. Previous operating rink that closed but came back years later, are considered dead because the reopening is considered rebooted, nothing to do with the former. Since we are rebooted to allow alive rinks, active rinks, we welcome those active rinks as well. It will be described.
As for “For Office Only” is for my reasoning and private legal reason for that.
Any music associated with any YouTube or any other videos provided on International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© are not the property of International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group and/or International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© therefore we do not own the rights to the music.
All photos you submitted or we retrieved become property of International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© and are watermarked but they are credited to you (or where the source is from). Thank you for understanding. To understand more about this, please go to this page: Disclaimer.
© Copyrighted by International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation©, an International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 to 17. Deut. 32:7.
Many kids went skating and skate dancing long before Camden own Dance Party USA (1986 to 1992) were ever around and even down the road from Philadelphia where the American Bandstand was held from 1952 to 1989. Skating was king. Dang, I wish I could have gone down to American Bandstand in my teens to meet those gorgeous teens. I was too old for Dance Party USA, thank you! Haha. Now they are adults.. I like that one with HUGE curly hair. Cindy I think is her name.. Ok, sorry, lets get back to here.
The owner/operator was Nicholas "Nick" Mekosh who ran from its opening on Wednesday, 19 December 1945 to 1970 operating a 15,000 Square Foot Hardwood Maple floor and added Epoxy or Polyurethane coat in 1968.
Before the rink was opened in 1945, it was Domestic Laundry and Dry Cleaning followed by Master Laundry. Then the rink. This building sure had many businesses come and go. Up to this day, it was 5 businesses occupying the building since early century.
Nicholas Mekosh retired and sold the rink to the next owner however, it was leased by a couple by the names of Theodore and Sue Rendfrey who ran only for three years from 1970 to 1973. This couple owned and operated another rink in Cherry Hill in 1973. Likely they canceled the lease and owned the Cherry Hill rink to focus on that other rink. It is possible but not sure. Do not know reason why they closed.
Currently, the building is used for retail suites with several small businesses including the newest laundromat! Yes, it is back to the laundromat. But also other businesses according to Google Maps. Including a cafe, a tiny meat market, and a furniture outlet.
The rink was up front, not the back building where the current tire and auto repair shop is.
Moooo.. a plastic statue of a male bull (cow) standing by the entrance.
When the rink closed in 1973, the building looked depleted and abandoned until they renovated in 2017. The largest tenant today is the, third charmed Laundromat called, E Laundryland. A take on both as it was originally a laundromat in pre-1945 and the Skateland. Maybe! Some people would do that as honor.
E Laundryland opened in 2017/2018 and still is operational. Their interior.. wow! Looks very much like a.. roller rink? Judge this for yourself as you can see in the photo. What you think? If yes, the lights really make it like it was a roller rink of someplace.
The walking score is impressive at 75 out of 100 and from what I saw on Zillow and Google Maps, there were a lot of residential houses so they were able to walk to the rink. The closure in 1973 was no excuses then. I do not know why. Anyway, Bicycling is at 50 percent. Some more limits. Perhaps the roads were busy and dangerous for cyclists. For public transportation, the opening day advertisement even mentioned 4 bus routes for non-drivers. It is scored at 48 out of 100. It is fair. Not bad.
Note- there are more ads and articles but I will post eventually as I will need to clean them up. This is why I prefer to have volunteers who can help out clean up articles, things like that.
The Interior.
The roller rink floor was 15,000 Square Feet using Hardwood Maple floor. It was finally covered with perhaps a Polyurethane coat or Epoxy. That was pretty big floor.
They had windows from wall to wall on each side to help brighten up inside. It was very modern looking interior for its time. Open ceiling with exposed Steel beams wall to wall.
The Exterior.
The front appeared to be two story. Likely upstairs was an office or the owners' apartment or a leased/rented apartment as the rink was on ground floor. The rear part was Gabled roof for this Cinderblocks Industrial looking building. It was originally designed for the laundromat.
The Stats:
1945 to 1969 Rink Size: 15,000 SF Floor: Non-painted Hardwood Maple Floor Layout: N/A.
1969 to 1973 Rink Size: 15,000 SF Floor: Plyurethane or Epoxy coated Hardwood Maple.
Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: N/A. Renovations: N/A. Demolished: Still standing.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Cinderblocks - Walled Industrial factory - like Building.
Roof: Flatted (front only), Gabled.
Acres: N/A.
Architect: N/A.
Contractor: N/A.
Interior Designer: N/A.
Organ: N/A.
10 Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Duck Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Candlestick Bowling Lanes: None.
Pocket Billiard Tables: N/A.
Air Hockey Tables: N/A.
Foosball Table: N/A.
Basketball Speed: N/A.
Amusement Rides: None.
Driving Range Slots: None.
Miniature Golf Course: None.
Arcade: (Number unknown)
Skee-Ball: N/A.
Fascination: None.
Restaurant: None.
Cocktail lounge: None.
Laser Tag: None.
Bounce Houses: None.
Bumper Cars: None.
Go-Kart: None.
Motel: None.
Swimming Pool: None.
Jungle Gym Playground: None.
Skate Park: None.
Theater (movie/stage): None.
Dance Center: None.
Picnic Grove: None.
Operated: (Overall)-- Wednesday, 19 December 1945 to 1973
Alpine Skating Center: Wednesday, 19 December 1945 to 1 March 1970
Skateland Camden: 1 March 1970 to 1973
Domestic Laundry and Dry Cleaning: Pre -1945 to N/A.
Master Laundry: Pre -1945 to N/A.
(Many businesses after rink closed): All post 1973, was abandoned for a while.
Reason for Closure:
Alpine Skating Center: Retirement, sold to building owner, business leased to new owners.
Skateland Camden: Unknown but likely the Leasee opened a rink in Cherry Hill and focus on that rink.
Domestic Laundry and Dry Cleaning: N/A.
Master Laundry: N/A.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also, photos/articles. Also send me any updates such as reopening, sold, name changes, or whatsoever occurred with this rink or any rinks. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at Rink-History©. Before you email, please state this rink name AND THE CITY AND STATE (or COUNTRY) so I can know where or what rink you are talking about. Thank you. We welcome both active and defunct rinks.
Sources:
Sources are listed in gallery.
Google Maps
Billboard - 10 August 1946, page 85, 2nd column.
Zillow - Property records.
Date of issue: 09 July 2023.
Updated: 10 July 2023.
For office use only: 10.
Worth to visit:
None. Building still stands, now some retail offices.
DISCLAIMER:
International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© (formerly known as Dead-Rinks) and Mark Falso are not responsible for your physical and legal injuries you may have caused. We do not endorse such illegal activities including breaking and entry of former rinks, malls, abandoned buildings, etc. Please always obey laws and regulations and property owner's signs. Some states allow purple paint on fence which means they even have guns on their property and have rights to shoot you. Please DO NOT attempt to enter property without permission!
For abandoned rinks, after you receive permission, do WEAR safety OSHA equipment including a safety glasses, pair of safety gloves, an orange vest or a jacket, and a construction helmet.
Thank you for understanding.
Dead Rinks is now International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© because many former names have become new names at the same rinks that are still active and due to much confusion, We have decided that International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© fits better for all rinks including defunct, closed, inactive, rebooted, and rinks that are still active today. For short on this site, it is International Roller Skating Rinks History© Bear with us as we change the entire site page by page each day. Thank you for understanding.
Second of all: The contents including words and photos above on this page and/or on any pages are purely educational entertainment purposes only. I provide what information from other websites, skaters, and operators and it may end up with different results between two (or more) sources. It is not our responsible for errors we caused. All sources are shown on each page. All opinions and statements of mine are also stated and are for purely educational entertainment only.
Rinks that are closed are considered dead. Rinks that are/were sold and with new management names new name(s), the former are considered dead. Previous operating rink that closed but came back years later, are considered dead because the reopening is considered rebooted, nothing to do with the former. Since we are rebooted to allow alive rinks, active rinks, we welcome those active rinks as well. It will be described.
As for “For Office Only” is for my reasoning and private legal reason for that.
Any music associated with any YouTube or any other videos provided on International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© are not the property of International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group and/or International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© therefore we do not own the rights to the music.
All photos you submitted or we retrieved become property of International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© and are watermarked but they are credited to you (or where the source is from). Thank you for understanding. To understand more about this, please go to this page: Disclaimer.
© Copyrighted by International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation©, an International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 to 17. Deut. 32:7.