Berea Bowling Alley and Roller Rink 451 Front Street, Berea, OH. Taken in 2007, merely three years prior to demolished. You can see where the main area was for skating and bowling. Showing is the rear. Source: Google. Digitally remastered by Dead-Rinks. (Brightened, sharper, license plate numbers removed).
Berea Bowling Alley and Roller Rink 451 Front Street, Berea, OH. Taken in 2007, merely three years prior to demolished. You can see where the main area was for skating and bowling. Showing is the side and rear. Source: Google. Digitally remastered by Dead-Rinks. (Brightened, sharper).
Berea Bowling Alley and Roller Rink 451 Front Street, Berea, OH. Taken in 2007, merely three years prior to demolish. You can see where the main area was for skating and bowling. You can tell one side was a rink, the other is bowling. I have never been there but my wild guess is that the rink was on the left side of the main doors. The right side was bowling. How I figured? The bowling section is older and has that look of a bowling because of windows usually set like that. The left part without windows and looks newer, a roller rink because of the Segmental Arch was shown. Bowling section had Flat roof. Showing is the side and rear. Source: Google. Digitally remastered by Dead-Rinks. (Brightened, sharper).
Berea Bowling Alley and Roller Rink 451 Front Street, Berea, OH. Taken in 2010, being demolished in March 2010 to reduce the size of the Rec Center. They literally cut the size in half. Source: Berean, Ohio Project.
Berea Bowling Alley and Roller Rink 451 Front Street, Berea, OH. Taken in 2010, being demolished in March 2010 to reduce the size of the Rec Center. They literally cut the size in half. In this one, they demolished the beautiful Arched Door Mantal Frame. Source: Berean, Ohio Project.
Berea Bowling Alley and Roller Rink 451 Front Street, Berea, OH. Taken in 2010, being demolished in March 2010 to reduce the size of the Rec Center. They literally cut the size in half. In this one, they were finishing the demolished section of the building. Source: Berean, Ohio Project.
Berea Bowling Alley and Roller Rink 451 Front Street, Berea, OH. Taken in 2011. The long building part was demolished and they built a wall to cover what remains the former rink/bowling alley in that section. The grassy part they put the grass in. Nice of them to show where the old rink/alley used to be. Source: Google.
Berea Bowling Alley and Roller Rink 451 Front Street, Berea, OH. Taken in 2016. They renovated again by adding new sign after the 2011 photo was taken seen above. The long building part was demolished and they built a wall to cover what remains the former rink/bowling alley in that section. The grassy part they put the grass in was the former rink/lanes used to be Nice of them to show where the old rink/alley used to be. Source: Google.
Berea Bowling Alley and Roller Rink 451 Front Street, Berea, OH. Interesting concept that they used business cards as schedule for times as well as a business card but it failed to mentioned who owns the rink or the manager. Source: eBay.
Berea Bowling Alley and Roller Rink 451 Front Street, Berea, OH. A newsletter from the City of Berea discussing about the former rink and the fate of this building. Yes, they did tear it down and rebuilt a new one. Source: City of Berea Newsletter. March 2020
Berea Bowling Alley and Roller Rink 451 Front Street, Berea, OH.
Berea Bowling Alley and Roller Rink 451 Front Street, Berea, Ohio. This place was operated as both a bowling alley and a roller rink.
Many reports said this place was opened since 1950s but the skater said earlier than that. He said it may have been opened since 1942. So, we do not know. It was possible it opened around that time.
Anyone know more about this place especially when and old photographs before they demolished it?
Only photographs I got were the demolishing photographs. I need to see what it was like before they demolishedin 2010.
I found the site on Google Map however, the old Google Map programs in 2007 to 2010 were awful. It was not clear. The photos shown above are what I have attempted to clear it up.
The Interior.
I do not see photos but only will describe what websites and the email said. It was a dual purpose entertainment center-- Roller Skating and 10-pin Bowling. The roller rink floor was maybe Maple (not know for sure yet). It was covered with resin. But in 1960s, they replaced the entire rink floor with new Maple floor because of the resin was damaging it. The new floor did not have any of that. It made sense why they did not put new resin in.
The bowling part was a Ten-Pin Bowing with 32 lanes. That is quite a bit of lanes. I have been to a 36 Lanes bowling alley (2 of them in Central NY with exact same layout but one was already demolished in end of 1980s) So, I can image how large it was along with an average skating rink size IF they had that as an average rink of maybe 60 Feet by 150 Feet) enough to fit in the building I see on Google. Roughly.
That entertainment center closed and sold to the city of Berea. It became a seniors' recreation center. But in 2010, they demolished most of the building but kept the rear part intact and built a wall as you can see in newer photos.
The Exterior.
The style looked very late 1930s-40s look with those Glass Blocks which was vouge at that era with much of Tan colored Cinderblocks or Bricks. What really unique was the front door frames that had Half-Barrel Arch really made it very antique look for 1940s. That design was more common in 19th Century. Maybe a retro design for its day. There were several of that.
They did expand and it did not look like a match to the original. They just really exposed the difference. Their attempt to match the look of original for an expansion failed. That architect who did this design should have been fired for not matching the rest of the building. It is like that Pyramide du Louvre in the Louvre France It is like trying to put a front half of Pinto connecting with a rear half of 1959 Cadillac Eldorado. This was a mockery at the form of art.
Now they modernize the look for the Recreation Center there. Still same color. It gave more parking space now that the roller rink was removed. And so was the bowling lanes.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Possible Maple, replaced in 1960 with another Maple. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built/Renovations: 1942, expansion likely 1960s. Renovated in 2010 by reducing to present size. Demolished: March 2010. Most of it torn down, back section remains. Future fate unknown because in March 2020 newsletter stated may demolish altogether and rebuilt new recreation center.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Blocks-Walled Arena - like Building.
Roof: Segmental Arch and Mix.
Acres: N/A.
Operated: (Overall)-- Early as 1942 (others say 1950s) to March 2010 (closed and demolished)
Reason for Closure: N/A. (City bought it and converted to rec center for seniors.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also photos/articles. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources:
Email.
City of Berea - Brief story relating to the fate of the former rink. - March 2020 newsletter.
Berea, Ohio Project - the demolishing of the former rink in 2010.
Article on rink-bowling. (Quick version of history on Berea). 7th paragraph.
Date of issue: 03 August 2021.
For office use only: 11 p. 4 g., 2 c, 1 a.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 and 16.
Many reports said this place was opened since 1950s but the skater said earlier than that. He said it may have been opened since 1942. So, we do not know. It was possible it opened around that time.
Anyone know more about this place especially when and old photographs before they demolished it?
Only photographs I got were the demolishing photographs. I need to see what it was like before they demolishedin 2010.
I found the site on Google Map however, the old Google Map programs in 2007 to 2010 were awful. It was not clear. The photos shown above are what I have attempted to clear it up.
The Interior.
I do not see photos but only will describe what websites and the email said. It was a dual purpose entertainment center-- Roller Skating and 10-pin Bowling. The roller rink floor was maybe Maple (not know for sure yet). It was covered with resin. But in 1960s, they replaced the entire rink floor with new Maple floor because of the resin was damaging it. The new floor did not have any of that. It made sense why they did not put new resin in.
The bowling part was a Ten-Pin Bowing with 32 lanes. That is quite a bit of lanes. I have been to a 36 Lanes bowling alley (2 of them in Central NY with exact same layout but one was already demolished in end of 1980s) So, I can image how large it was along with an average skating rink size IF they had that as an average rink of maybe 60 Feet by 150 Feet) enough to fit in the building I see on Google. Roughly.
That entertainment center closed and sold to the city of Berea. It became a seniors' recreation center. But in 2010, they demolished most of the building but kept the rear part intact and built a wall as you can see in newer photos.
The Exterior.
The style looked very late 1930s-40s look with those Glass Blocks which was vouge at that era with much of Tan colored Cinderblocks or Bricks. What really unique was the front door frames that had Half-Barrel Arch really made it very antique look for 1940s. That design was more common in 19th Century. Maybe a retro design for its day. There were several of that.
They did expand and it did not look like a match to the original. They just really exposed the difference. Their attempt to match the look of original for an expansion failed. That architect who did this design should have been fired for not matching the rest of the building. It is like that Pyramide du Louvre in the Louvre France It is like trying to put a front half of Pinto connecting with a rear half of 1959 Cadillac Eldorado. This was a mockery at the form of art.
Now they modernize the look for the Recreation Center there. Still same color. It gave more parking space now that the roller rink was removed. And so was the bowling lanes.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Possible Maple, replaced in 1960 with another Maple. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built/Renovations: 1942, expansion likely 1960s. Renovated in 2010 by reducing to present size. Demolished: March 2010. Most of it torn down, back section remains. Future fate unknown because in March 2020 newsletter stated may demolish altogether and rebuilt new recreation center.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Blocks-Walled Arena - like Building.
Roof: Segmental Arch and Mix.
Acres: N/A.
Operated: (Overall)-- Early as 1942 (others say 1950s) to March 2010 (closed and demolished)
Reason for Closure: N/A. (City bought it and converted to rec center for seniors.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also photos/articles. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources:
Email.
City of Berea - Brief story relating to the fate of the former rink. - March 2020 newsletter.
Berea, Ohio Project - the demolishing of the former rink in 2010.
Article on rink-bowling. (Quick version of history on Berea). 7th paragraph.
Date of issue: 03 August 2021.
For office use only: 11 p. 4 g., 2 c, 1 a.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 and 16.