The Dallas Morning News. December 30, 1905. An illustration of the rink at the time.
Google Map. Likely the location would be the left of the red pin. The long building could have but I could not see well with all the trees lined with the road which hides the grounds. They did remove part of Gino Street to the left of the pin sometimes in 2010s.
City Park Roller Rink Rowley (now S. St. Paul) Street and Gano Street, Dallas, TX
One of the earliest roller rink in Dallas area was the City Park Roller Rink Rowley (now St. Paul) Street and Gano Street, Dallas, Texas. It was a Basilica style building where the rink was. It was a very popular rink that the management decided to have seasonal tickets and have ticketed events there as well. A very popular venue for different functions when there were no skating sessions.
However, that venue was small compared to a new competitor that opened up that same year, the Fair Park Roller Rink. It was the main competitor that caused City Park Roller Rink to shut its doors. City Park rink closed less than a year.
The location likely was at where the park is today as seen on Google Map. The Old City Park in Dallas. Currently called, Dallas Heritage Village, a museum historical grounds. Too bad the rink was not part of it. Likely it was at this building see on map.
The Interior.
Likely Maple floor. Unknown interior.
The Exterior.
Free-Span Steel Truss Cinderblocks-Walled Basilica - Venue like Building with Basilica Gable roof design. They had flags on each corner or part of the building. Very late 19th Century architectural design. Likely blocks were either Sand or Light Gray. Illustration is not good enough to know what color it was.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: N/A. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: N/A. Demolished: N/A.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss Cinderblocks-Walled Basilica - Venue like Building.
Roof: Basilica Gable.
Acres: N/A. (Unknown at the time because now it is a park.. likely 1 square mile park now.
Operated: (Overall)-- January 1906 to late 1906.
Reason for Closure: forced to close due to heavy competition with Fair Park Roller Rink.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also photos. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources: Dallas News - History of roller skating and rinks in Dallas by Ana Nino, March 25, 2021;
Date of issue: 28 March 2021.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:16.
However, that venue was small compared to a new competitor that opened up that same year, the Fair Park Roller Rink. It was the main competitor that caused City Park Roller Rink to shut its doors. City Park rink closed less than a year.
The location likely was at where the park is today as seen on Google Map. The Old City Park in Dallas. Currently called, Dallas Heritage Village, a museum historical grounds. Too bad the rink was not part of it. Likely it was at this building see on map.
The Interior.
Likely Maple floor. Unknown interior.
The Exterior.
Free-Span Steel Truss Cinderblocks-Walled Basilica - Venue like Building with Basilica Gable roof design. They had flags on each corner or part of the building. Very late 19th Century architectural design. Likely blocks were either Sand or Light Gray. Illustration is not good enough to know what color it was.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: N/A. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: N/A. Demolished: N/A.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss Cinderblocks-Walled Basilica - Venue like Building.
Roof: Basilica Gable.
Acres: N/A. (Unknown at the time because now it is a park.. likely 1 square mile park now.
Operated: (Overall)-- January 1906 to late 1906.
Reason for Closure: forced to close due to heavy competition with Fair Park Roller Rink.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also photos. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources: Dallas News - History of roller skating and rinks in Dallas by Ana Nino, March 25, 2021;
Date of issue: 28 March 2021.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:16.