Coliseum, The 2812 West Erie Avenue, Lorain, OH. Source: Daniel Brady Blog.
Coliseum, The 2812 West Erie Avenue, Lorain, OH. Source: Daniel Brady Blog.
Coliseum, The 2812 West Erie Avenue, Lorain, OH. The skating rink burned down in a fire and property was sold and Howard Johnson's Restaurant (and I am sure hotel too) were built. But after HoJo's Closed, it became Chris' Restaurant and Dinning. And the fate of that hotel became Edgeview Motel and then it was closed in late 2000s and demolished about 8 to 10 years later. See next photo. Source: Google Map 2008.
Coliseum, The 2812 West Erie Avenue, Lorain, OH. This was taken in 2019 with many major changes. Gone was the motel and the small shed-like Saltbox building was demolished leaving this space wide open and gave nice view of the Lake Erie from the road parking lot. Chris has a new signage. Bit easier to read after the old one was faded and had the metal posts and sign frame painted. The pinnacle is still up there (actually they were supposed to remove them due to HoJo trademark requiring many former restaurants to have them removed. So, this makes it quite rare it stays there. Source: Google Map 2019.
Coliseum, The 2812 West Erie Avenue, Lorain, OH. May 5, 1952 was the date of a huge fire that destroyed this beautiful rink that the Moose Lodge built in 1925. The cost to rebuilt made the owner changed her mind not to rebuilt. Source: Lorain Journal, May 6,1952.
Coliseum, The 2812 West Erie Avenue, Lorain, OH. Replaced the burned down rink. Source: Lorain Journal.
Coliseum, The 2812 West Erie Avenue, Lorain, OH
Coliseum, The 2812 West Erie Avenue, Lorain, Ohio was a rink but not to be confused with another Coliseum which was at an amusement park in Mansfield, Ohio.
This one was built in 1926. It was really granular in style especially the interior. It was operational for long time. the Coliseum was built by the Lorain Moose Lodge in 1926 at a cost of 115,000 USD. That means 1,765,256.50 in US Dollars in the year 2021. That is being bit modest for the upper cost for a fancy rink. Hey, it was a bargain because it was the Moose Lodge that built it and perhaps had volunteers built it. Likely with workers paid, it would have cost them about 130,000 to 150,000 USD with hiring construction company to provide paid workers. This could well be way over 2 Million US Dollars in Today's money.
This Coliseum was right by Lake Erie in Northern Ohio which Route 6 runs through.
It was sometimes called the Moose Coliseum.
Unfortunately for this beautiful rink, it was burned down on May 5, 1952. The value of the rink was 125,000 USD. Not much of an increase throughout the years since 1925. That is quite intersting and smart move of Americans not like today with runaway prices we had in blaming on Oil crisis of 1973 and 1979 and the Bubble burst of 2007 and the COVID Depression of 2020-2021. (Yes, for first time yesterday on 22 July 2021, Little Casars Pizza for a cheese pizza is 7.01 USD. Far cry from 5.00 Dollars plus taxes (5.40) a couple of years ago. They did raise to 5.50 last year. Now range in 6 Dollars! Too much!)
The cost to rebuilt in 1953 would be really in ball park of 500,000 USD based on more fancier materials and labor costs. Way more than rink owner Mrs. Ruth Stevens thought.
It is sad but I am sure many had good fond of memories throughout the 20th Century and for a some, in the 21st Century.
After that fire in 1952, it was sold and it became Howard Johnson's Restaurant and Hotel but they went out of business and Chris's Restaurant opened replacing Howard Johnson's and Edgeview Motel replaced the famed orange roof restaurant-hotel chain. Now, the motel was demolished in around 2016 or 2017 leaving just the diner style restaurant. They say they are somewhat good with good prices.
The fire that day in 1952, it began around 3 in the morning and by 10 AM, the fire was still on going but pretty much dosed down though. It was truly an inferno at least 40 feet high in the air. They said it started in the back of the office by the stove. They had fire under control at 6 AM. They could not find what the cause of it but being by the stove.. has to be by the stove, literally.
Lorain Fire Department were not called in to help at all and it was only 300 yards from the town-line. Could have helped.
The Interior.
It was very grandular style. It even had likely White light fabric grace cross entire ceiling arch that were light up. Yes, all Segmental Arches interior, not the real Trusses. The fixtures were all lights with unique designs on it. That was rare sight to see someplace had like this. I believe it was custom made just for this rink when the Moose Lodge asked the architect to design those light fixture. They were not tube lights at all. You can tell by looking at the photos.
The other thing with more lights that they were also covered with White light cloth. I am sure those fabrics on pendants and ceilings were flammable but that was not the cause of the fire. None. This should be a good example to watch out for because of the Great Cocoanut Night Club Fire in Boston or even The Station Fire in Rhodes Island in 2003.
More on Cocoanut Grove Night Club Fire. Skating rinks had their shares of fires but ironically, most of the time no one was there. Not always. The Bedford Glens Roller Palace was on fire and everyone escaped uninjured. Big difference. Must be the skates quickly escorted patrons out faster!
The Exterior.
It was a customized designed building. It was a cross between a Segmental Arch with Monitor style roof. A segmental Arch Monitor Roof style. Concrete blocks built with Steel Trusses. Built by the lake.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: N/A. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built/Renovations: N/A. Demolished: May 5, 1952 by fire.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Cinderblocks -Walled Arena - like Building.
Roof: Segmental Arch.
Acres: 3.000 AC.
Operated: (Overall)-- 1925 to May 5, 1952.
Reason for Closure: Fire on May 5, 1952.
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:
Daniel Brady's Blog.
Daniel Brady's Blog 2 (about the fire)
Daniel Brady's Blog 3 (About restaurant and hotel after the fire)
Date of issue: 23 July 2021.
For office use only: 7p.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 and 16.
This one was built in 1926. It was really granular in style especially the interior. It was operational for long time. the Coliseum was built by the Lorain Moose Lodge in 1926 at a cost of 115,000 USD. That means 1,765,256.50 in US Dollars in the year 2021. That is being bit modest for the upper cost for a fancy rink. Hey, it was a bargain because it was the Moose Lodge that built it and perhaps had volunteers built it. Likely with workers paid, it would have cost them about 130,000 to 150,000 USD with hiring construction company to provide paid workers. This could well be way over 2 Million US Dollars in Today's money.
This Coliseum was right by Lake Erie in Northern Ohio which Route 6 runs through.
It was sometimes called the Moose Coliseum.
Unfortunately for this beautiful rink, it was burned down on May 5, 1952. The value of the rink was 125,000 USD. Not much of an increase throughout the years since 1925. That is quite intersting and smart move of Americans not like today with runaway prices we had in blaming on Oil crisis of 1973 and 1979 and the Bubble burst of 2007 and the COVID Depression of 2020-2021. (Yes, for first time yesterday on 22 July 2021, Little Casars Pizza for a cheese pizza is 7.01 USD. Far cry from 5.00 Dollars plus taxes (5.40) a couple of years ago. They did raise to 5.50 last year. Now range in 6 Dollars! Too much!)
The cost to rebuilt in 1953 would be really in ball park of 500,000 USD based on more fancier materials and labor costs. Way more than rink owner Mrs. Ruth Stevens thought.
It is sad but I am sure many had good fond of memories throughout the 20th Century and for a some, in the 21st Century.
After that fire in 1952, it was sold and it became Howard Johnson's Restaurant and Hotel but they went out of business and Chris's Restaurant opened replacing Howard Johnson's and Edgeview Motel replaced the famed orange roof restaurant-hotel chain. Now, the motel was demolished in around 2016 or 2017 leaving just the diner style restaurant. They say they are somewhat good with good prices.
The fire that day in 1952, it began around 3 in the morning and by 10 AM, the fire was still on going but pretty much dosed down though. It was truly an inferno at least 40 feet high in the air. They said it started in the back of the office by the stove. They had fire under control at 6 AM. They could not find what the cause of it but being by the stove.. has to be by the stove, literally.
Lorain Fire Department were not called in to help at all and it was only 300 yards from the town-line. Could have helped.
The Interior.
It was very grandular style. It even had likely White light fabric grace cross entire ceiling arch that were light up. Yes, all Segmental Arches interior, not the real Trusses. The fixtures were all lights with unique designs on it. That was rare sight to see someplace had like this. I believe it was custom made just for this rink when the Moose Lodge asked the architect to design those light fixture. They were not tube lights at all. You can tell by looking at the photos.
The other thing with more lights that they were also covered with White light cloth. I am sure those fabrics on pendants and ceilings were flammable but that was not the cause of the fire. None. This should be a good example to watch out for because of the Great Cocoanut Night Club Fire in Boston or even The Station Fire in Rhodes Island in 2003.
More on Cocoanut Grove Night Club Fire. Skating rinks had their shares of fires but ironically, most of the time no one was there. Not always. The Bedford Glens Roller Palace was on fire and everyone escaped uninjured. Big difference. Must be the skates quickly escorted patrons out faster!
The Exterior.
It was a customized designed building. It was a cross between a Segmental Arch with Monitor style roof. A segmental Arch Monitor Roof style. Concrete blocks built with Steel Trusses. Built by the lake.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: N/A. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built/Renovations: N/A. Demolished: May 5, 1952 by fire.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Cinderblocks -Walled Arena - like Building.
Roof: Segmental Arch.
Acres: 3.000 AC.
Operated: (Overall)-- 1925 to May 5, 1952.
Reason for Closure: Fire on May 5, 1952.
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:
Daniel Brady's Blog.
Daniel Brady's Blog 2 (about the fire)
Daniel Brady's Blog 3 (About restaurant and hotel after the fire)
Date of issue: 23 July 2021.
For office use only: 7p.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 and 16.