Plague courtesy of Mark Miller, a CFHS graduate who skated there savaged 2500 Square feet floor to make plagues and sold them. Rest of the rink went into floors of homeowners.
Courtesy of Karen Shelton, final operator. Terrible flood! Wow, that has to be a bad seven feet deep flood (compared to the door, that is how I figured).
Courtesy of Karen Shelton, final operator. A repairman inspect the buckled floor Yes, that is the roller rink in pitch black sludge! And buckled because of the inseam was showing. Looks like that guy would not repair due to the non-repairable floor.
Courtesy of The Courier. Sad day on February 8, 2011. Demolished.
Black Hawk Rollerdrome 1800 Lincoln St, Cedar Falls, IA
This rink was once a popular classic rink in Cedar Falls, Iowa that people loved to go skating. It was a very good rink according to people comments on social media. However, tragety occurred with the flooding that ruined the rink for good.
In 1948 The rink was originally built the Bienfang family. But in 1962, the Gene Shelton family bought the rink and operated it. Gene's wife, Bobette, died in 1985 and Gene re-married again. He married Karen.
The Black Hawk Rollerdrome is currently owned by Karen Shelton which after Gene passed away in 1990. She then ran it with the help of her son Steve Miller.
In recent years, Karen's son Steve and his wife Sarah, were leasing the business from her. They now live in Rice Lake, WI where they are running a skating rink called Skate City. If you are ever in that area please check them out! Their website by clicking here: Skate City.
The flood damage was so extensive that rebuilding is not a viable option. They had no flooding insurance as the main reason why they were closed for good. (should have for that region. But the city did not buy out the rink to keep as rink but did bought out to tear it down. Unfortunately it was demolished likely in 2010s. It is now a replanted trees area. A park like setting with grass mowed.
The Interior.
Beautiful Maple floor right up to the time it was flooded in 2008 and it turned pitch black sludge that it was so bad. The floor buckled as well. It is similar you may have seen clearly in a former Florida skating rink that was flooded during a hurricane. (I do not recall which rink that was).
What very attractive feature in that rink was it had wall neon lights. Very 1950s/80s look. It was all walls with those lights. Truly very upscale 1980s look interior. Unlike other rinks that had very popular starburst lights on the ceiling with a diamond ball hanging.
The Exterior.
Red Brick with arched-curved roof white frontage and rear. Very 1950s theme building with V-like canopy with Arched canopy. Pretty much the same through its 50 years as a rink.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A Floor: N/A Floor Layout: N/A
Building Size: N/A Built: N/A Demolished: February 8, 2011. (Flooded June 10, 2008)
Type of Building: Free Span Steel Red Brick Building.
Roof: Gable
Acres: N/A
Operated: N/A
Reason for Closure: N/A
Wanted: Information regarding photos of rink before and after flood interior, exact date of open.
Sources: Facebook, The Courier, Local Gym and Fitness, Blog, The Courier (torn down),
© 2019-2020 Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved.
This rink was once a popular classic rink in Cedar Falls, Iowa that people loved to go skating. It was a very good rink according to people comments on social media. However, tragety occurred with the flooding that ruined the rink for good.
In 1948 The rink was originally built the Bienfang family. But in 1962, the Gene Shelton family bought the rink and operated it. Gene's wife, Bobette, died in 1985 and Gene re-married again. He married Karen.
The Black Hawk Rollerdrome is currently owned by Karen Shelton which after Gene passed away in 1990. She then ran it with the help of her son Steve Miller.
In recent years, Karen's son Steve and his wife Sarah, were leasing the business from her. They now live in Rice Lake, WI where they are running a skating rink called Skate City. If you are ever in that area please check them out! Their website by clicking here: Skate City.
The flood damage was so extensive that rebuilding is not a viable option. They had no flooding insurance as the main reason why they were closed for good. (should have for that region. But the city did not buy out the rink to keep as rink but did bought out to tear it down. Unfortunately it was demolished likely in 2010s. It is now a replanted trees area. A park like setting with grass mowed.
The Interior.
Beautiful Maple floor right up to the time it was flooded in 2008 and it turned pitch black sludge that it was so bad. The floor buckled as well. It is similar you may have seen clearly in a former Florida skating rink that was flooded during a hurricane. (I do not recall which rink that was).
What very attractive feature in that rink was it had wall neon lights. Very 1950s/80s look. It was all walls with those lights. Truly very upscale 1980s look interior. Unlike other rinks that had very popular starburst lights on the ceiling with a diamond ball hanging.
The Exterior.
Red Brick with arched-curved roof white frontage and rear. Very 1950s theme building with V-like canopy with Arched canopy. Pretty much the same through its 50 years as a rink.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A Floor: N/A Floor Layout: N/A
Building Size: N/A Built: N/A Demolished: February 8, 2011. (Flooded June 10, 2008)
Type of Building: Free Span Steel Red Brick Building.
Roof: Gable
Acres: N/A
Operated: N/A
Reason for Closure: N/A
Wanted: Information regarding photos of rink before and after flood interior, exact date of open.
Sources: Facebook, The Courier, Local Gym and Fitness, Blog, The Courier (torn down),
© 2019-2020 Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved.