Courtesy of Google Map of the former rink, bowling alley, and the current ongoing furniture/coffee-and-ice cream shop. Very art deco. Looked like it was designed in 1920s or 30s? Check their store website and have a cup of coffee or ice cream in that rounda on the corner! Really cute! (links are at bottom)
Photos (top and bottom) courtesy of the Ankeny Family. Newspaper article announced new recreation center. Noticed quite a difference compared to the current building. It even had 1930s-1950s style vertical signage and the streamlining of 1930s but designed in Post-War 1940s. And built in 1946.
Postcard courtesy of the Ankeny Family. As shown clockwise from upper left: a standard diner-like where the current coffee and ice cream cafe is present. The exterior as seen in 1950s. The six lanes bowling over the Maple floor with new maple floor. You can barely seen it was risen higher. Then there was the rink with the name of the facility. The rink has to be the new revised rink. Hard to tell with the old Black-and-White photo and the name running over it. But the walls and ceiling, all very clean appeared to be monochromatic in that section the same with the bowling alley. No murals, nothing. Very standard back the day without much murals like you see today at modern rinks or updated 80s rinks.
Ankeny's Recreation Center, 230 South Main Street, Blue Earth, MN
This rink had unusual name. Just Ankeny's Recreation Center. Looking up, I found Furniture store with that name. Related? Yes, it is related. Originally a roller rink founded by Lena and Charles Clayton Ankeny. I have no date of first opening however, the two sons of Lena and Charles-- that would Charles Wendell Ankeny and his brother, Ronald Wayne Ankeny helped out the family business which was a roller rink from 1946 to 1956 when roller skating was in decline in that town so they converted to a bowling alley but in 1962, they shut down the six lanes and covert to skating rink again but smaller size. Originally in Maple before the bowling lanes and after that, Masonite floor. Then, 1969, their son, Ronald converted to a furniture store which is still successful today. So, with this, this is combination of both roller rink and bowling alley. Like skating rinks, bowling alleys are also seeing their decline as well. For example, in Syracuse, NY there used to be like, at least a dozen bowling alleys. Now I see they have which I believe is 4 bowling alleys there while there is no skating rink in immediate area of Syracuse. Same everywhere this decline is happening everywhere.
The original rink in Maple was 90’ x 60’ however, they built the bowling lanes over the Maple floor then close down the bowling lanes and place the smaller Masonite skating floor toward the back with the size of 40’ x 75’! Both are quite small especially the latter rink! That is small!
I do not have any photos of the rink but saw a picture of the bowling lanes in the photo on the furniture store website. But basically the exterior looks pretty much the same and I want to add. it is multi-brick building with flat roof with the corner that is arched. It looked more rounded than an arch actually and it does look more like a movie theater ticket booth. I had a gut feeling that it may have been actual ticket booth where skaters had to purchase their tickets at the booth prior entering. That is cold to do so in the snow belt region! The rink appeared small I believe from what I am seeing. The rounded part of the building is a coffee and ice cream shop. Three businesses in one building.
They also have a coffee and ice cream shop called, Ankeny's Coffee and Ice Cream Shop 230 Fix. They sound good! You should check it out when you want to go searching for dead rinks in Blue Earth, go check that out!
Much thanks to the Ankeny family for the photos and information!
Rink Size: (In 1946) 90’ x 60’ Maple floor but in 1956, 6 Bowling lanes was located over the rink floor then In 1962 the six lanes closed. put a roller rink in that space it was smaller 40’ x 75’ (Likely Masonite) Floor: (1946): Maple, then (1962): Masonite.
Floor Layout: N/A (Maple and Masonite)
Building Size: N/A Built: 1946
Type of Building: Free Span Brick Building. Designed by Wick & Stansfield Architects
Roof: Flat
Acres: N/A
Operated: Saturday December 21, 1946* to 1956, then bowling from 1956 to 1962. Then 1962 to 1969 roller rink once again. Currently furniture store. *I updated this profile on December 22, 2019, exactly 73 years and a day. But made this profile originally on December 19, 2019. Quite an coincidence!
Reason for Closure: Decline sales on skating, bowling, then skating. Now furniture store.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open and closed, photos of the rink.
Sources: Ankeny's Furniture website, Ankeny's Coffee and Ice Cream Shop,
R. Wayne Ankeny obituary, Rev. Charles Wendall Ankeny Obituary, Lois Ankeny article.
Also the Ankeny family in email.
© 2019 - 2020 Dead Rinks. All Rights Reserved.
This rink had unusual name. Just Ankeny's Recreation Center. Looking up, I found Furniture store with that name. Related? Yes, it is related. Originally a roller rink founded by Lena and Charles Clayton Ankeny. I have no date of first opening however, the two sons of Lena and Charles-- that would Charles Wendell Ankeny and his brother, Ronald Wayne Ankeny helped out the family business which was a roller rink from 1946 to 1956 when roller skating was in decline in that town so they converted to a bowling alley but in 1962, they shut down the six lanes and covert to skating rink again but smaller size. Originally in Maple before the bowling lanes and after that, Masonite floor. Then, 1969, their son, Ronald converted to a furniture store which is still successful today. So, with this, this is combination of both roller rink and bowling alley. Like skating rinks, bowling alleys are also seeing their decline as well. For example, in Syracuse, NY there used to be like, at least a dozen bowling alleys. Now I see they have which I believe is 4 bowling alleys there while there is no skating rink in immediate area of Syracuse. Same everywhere this decline is happening everywhere.
The original rink in Maple was 90’ x 60’ however, they built the bowling lanes over the Maple floor then close down the bowling lanes and place the smaller Masonite skating floor toward the back with the size of 40’ x 75’! Both are quite small especially the latter rink! That is small!
I do not have any photos of the rink but saw a picture of the bowling lanes in the photo on the furniture store website. But basically the exterior looks pretty much the same and I want to add. it is multi-brick building with flat roof with the corner that is arched. It looked more rounded than an arch actually and it does look more like a movie theater ticket booth. I had a gut feeling that it may have been actual ticket booth where skaters had to purchase their tickets at the booth prior entering. That is cold to do so in the snow belt region! The rink appeared small I believe from what I am seeing. The rounded part of the building is a coffee and ice cream shop. Three businesses in one building.
They also have a coffee and ice cream shop called, Ankeny's Coffee and Ice Cream Shop 230 Fix. They sound good! You should check it out when you want to go searching for dead rinks in Blue Earth, go check that out!
Much thanks to the Ankeny family for the photos and information!
Rink Size: (In 1946) 90’ x 60’ Maple floor but in 1956, 6 Bowling lanes was located over the rink floor then In 1962 the six lanes closed. put a roller rink in that space it was smaller 40’ x 75’ (Likely Masonite) Floor: (1946): Maple, then (1962): Masonite.
Floor Layout: N/A (Maple and Masonite)
Building Size: N/A Built: 1946
Type of Building: Free Span Brick Building. Designed by Wick & Stansfield Architects
Roof: Flat
Acres: N/A
Operated: Saturday December 21, 1946* to 1956, then bowling from 1956 to 1962. Then 1962 to 1969 roller rink once again. Currently furniture store. *I updated this profile on December 22, 2019, exactly 73 years and a day. But made this profile originally on December 19, 2019. Quite an coincidence!
Reason for Closure: Decline sales on skating, bowling, then skating. Now furniture store.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open and closed, photos of the rink.
Sources: Ankeny's Furniture website, Ankeny's Coffee and Ice Cream Shop,
R. Wayne Ankeny obituary, Rev. Charles Wendall Ankeny Obituary, Lois Ankeny article.
Also the Ankeny family in email.
© 2019 - 2020 Dead Rinks. All Rights Reserved.