The Colonial Roller Rink Delware Avenue, Put-In-Bay, OH. This was a new building built in 1930s. The roller rink was on second floor. Likely ground floor was restaurant/bar in early years. The date is unknown for the photograph but given by the women dressed up, 1930s. Source: Put-In-Bay Reservation website.
Put-In-Bay White House Delware Avenue, Put-In-Bay, OH. This was a boarding house hotel originally on the property. Source: Put-In-Bay Reservation website.
Put-In-Bay White House Delware Avenue, Put-In-Bay, OH. This was a boarding house hotel replaced the burned original White House. Much smaller building. Edwardian style mixed with Standard Gable. I see two different styles. Source: Put-In-Bay Reservation website.
The Colonial Roller Rink Delware Avenue, Put-In-Bay, OH. Read the caption which clearly explained it all. And yes, the cars there showed when this was taken. 1967 or 1968. Source: Put-In-Bay Reservation website.
Colonial Roller Rink Delaware Avenue, Put-In-Bay, OH. The massive fire half way burned the building at that moment. Source: Put-In-Bay Photo Album.
Colonial Roller Rink Delaware Avenue, Put-In-Bay, OH. The massive fire burned the building at that moment as residents this time were in shock and even a lady in Dark Blue was crying at 2:15 pm that Friday, May 27, 1988. Source: Put-In-Bay Photo Album.
Colonial Roller Rink Delaware Avenue, Put-In-Bay, OH. The massive fire burned the building to the ground after 3 pm that Friday, May 27, 1988. Source: Put-In-Bay Photo Album.
Colonial Roller Rink Delaware Avenue, Put-In-Bay, OH. An advertisement in 1940s. Source: Put-In-Bay Reservation website.
Beer Barrel Saloon Delaware Avenue, Put-In-Bay, OH. Today it is a new built as a bar and restaurant. Source: Put-In-Bay Reservation website.
Colonial Roller Rink Delaware Avenue, Put-In-Bay, OH
Colonial Roller Rink Delaware Avenue, Put-In-Bay, Ohio. This is another fine establishment that had a rich history. There are numerous of articles about the Colonial. And the background story leading to the new Colonial back then after the hotel was located at Put-In-Bay, Ohio. It was not all rosy as they say for this land where the Colonial was. Well, rich history and some sadness.
It began as the White House in Put-in-Bay. The beginning date was unknown but judging by the photo, it may have built around 1850s. But the photo was taken later. It began as a boarding house where guests could stay to stay to enjoy their vacations. That became a hotel. The name "White House" was because perhaps people saw it was White color and did appear like a supersize house. Or maybe like their own version of the White House that Washington, DC is located.
In 1861, Joseph W Gray, the editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, bought the boarding hotel. He renovated to make the building into a full-time boarding house. Later on, Joseph Gray sold the hotel. The hotel was known as Sweeny, West and Company. As time progressed, the hotel expanded with extra wings constructed. Now, the hotel dubbed the Put-In-Bay House remained.
Unfortunately for the rising popular hotel, tragedy would overtake the fledging enterprise. There was a benefit on August 30, 1878 for a Yellow Fever relief in the South but just before 6 PM, a fire ignited in the cupola at the top of the building. Flames spread throughout too quickly. Sadly, at the time, there was no fire department on the island so that made the community difficult to fight the fire. The people who lived in the area had to form a true difficult a bucket brigade to fight the fire. This was no challenge as the raging fire was far too powerful and the hotel burned to the ground.
There was a speculation pointed to 4 young men as the culprits of the fire. Those four young men were smoking in the cupola.
A fire truck from Sandusky came over via steamer way too late to fight the fire. I am sure that made the whole town to decide to have a fire department. And that test... well, read on.
Because of the first fire destroyed the hotel and the new business with monetary losses due to the fire, Valentine Doller, a prominent Put-In-Bay figure, purchased the same land where the Put-In-Bay House was. Then, he constructed another Put-In-Bay House to replace the burned down boarding hotel, albeit much smaller. The new building was just 200 feet long and could accommodate up to 200 guests.
Sadly, another fire struck again. On September 3, 1907, the second Put-In-Bay House burned to the ground. The newly constructed Colonial Dance Hall nearly caught fire too. Fortunately this time, the residents were able to contain the blaze to the hotel. However, this ominous history would rear its ugly head again.
Before that fire that burned the hotel, the construction of the Colonial was underway in 1905. His company, the Put-In-Bay Amusement Company, paid $20,000 for the hotel property. Their plans included the construction of a large dance hall and skating rink. On June 16, 1906 the Colonial opened its doors to great fanfare. All of the islanders came out to commemorate the joyous occasion.
My note-- It appeared that the hotel was to be part of the new amusement center with the Colonial built close to the hotel so that guests can walk over. This is like what all modern day hotels have-- convention centers and ballrooms today. (I live in the Crossroads of the North East US in Central New York which is the Town of Salina. The Town of Salina hotel district is within 4 short blocks from where I live, walkable for about 10 mins to reach there. Anyway, I have seen them all in the area and knew what they have there. All of them. They all do have at least one conference room in the district.
I can understand what Valentine Doller, not Dollar, D O L L E R. Anyway, what he was aiming for. A resort.
The 1920’s and 30’s saw a surge in dances on the weekends.
The Depression put a hamper for Put-In-Bay and the Colonial. Consequently, the operators of the Colonial Dance Hall faced bankruptcy. So, it was sold to George and Fannie Lonz for $6,250 USD. That means 101,682.63 USD in 2021 for inflation adjustment. That is cheap! Must be they had a fire sale.
Now, the Colonial was under the ownership of the Lonz Family. They operated for the next 25 years of this well-known Put-In-Bay Bar. Over the this tenure, the building’s management varied. During the early 40’s, Bob and Maria Shiele ran the wine room. the wine room was adorned the place with fabric, and painted it to resemble a cave.
Also, Chick Linker ran the roller skating operation. Local publications ran ads with headlines such as, “Roller Skating at the Colonial: A Chick Linker Operation.” Then, from 1945-1947 George Compton ran the operation. Sadly, Compton passed away on October 4, 1947 during a skating party at the end of the season. Many believe a heart attack due to over exertion to be the culprit. Maybe he was skating so much and the pressure of working at the same time.
Then, in 1948, the Lonzes leased to Howard Sutton. Howard’s mother assisted with managing the Colonial. They promoted a wide assortment of events in the building. Interestingly, even a wrestling match occurred. Lonz added a wine tasting area at the East end. At the Colonial, his Lonz Wines from Middle Bass island were available. This room felt like a cave, being dimly lit with deep set booths. Also, past guests remember the room having a perpetual smell of stale wine. Others ran the operation pressing in to the 50’s and 60’s. This include Frank and Alice Crowley, Dale and Adeline Schmidlin and Ralph Zickafoose.
The Colonial faced peril yet another time. The Schnoor & Fuchs Grocery Store caught fire on March 12, 1964. This store, located just to the South, was a complete loss. However, the Colonial at less than 100 feet away, remained unharmed. Shortly after this close call, Lonz decided to sell the Colonial. Just prior to the sale, he sold the neighboring ball field. Then, a developer went on to build the Commodore Motel.
The South Bass Island Company, owned by Al Neff, purchased the building for $20,000. Neff immediately went to work on giving the property updates and improvements. New alleys with automatic pinsetters replaced the dated lanes. Also, this new area had a furnace so that it had year round potential. Bowling leagues formed in the Winter months. Other improvements were to come. The old Lonz wine room transformed in a rustic fashion. Much of the décor utilized reclaimed material, making the space feel very authentic. Quickly, the “Bay 90’s” became one of the islands favorite hangouts. The massive dance floor was also rehabbed at great cost and effort. Wonderful events like the Put-In-Bay Centennial Ball in 1977 and the Founder’s Day Ball in 1979 took place in the renovated Colonial.
The Old Rittman Grocery Store moved in 1968 to the present day location of the Island General Store. The architecture retained the character of the original building. Restored original posts and siding from an old island school were among the building materials. Duane Dress managed the store in the early 1970’s. Then, in the final 3 years that Neff owned the property, Tip Niese ran the grocery store.
The Colonial had new owners in 1979. Tip Niese became owner of the iconic property. He changed the Bay 90’s bar to the present day Beer Barrel Saloon. After overseeing the grocery store in the late 70’s, Tip was poised to be a perfect partner for the property. At this time, George Stoiber and Skip Duggan were interested in buying. Not long after, both Stoiber and Duggan sold out their interests, leaving Niese as the sole owner of the Colonial. Changes were to come for the building. The automatic alleys were removed and replaced with a restaurant ran by Tom Yantz. Also, a video arcade was erected on the ground floor.
There was a man showed up at the Colonial in a van, asking for a music gig. Before leaving, he left a cassette of some of his material. The Niese family had doubts about this unknown entertainer. They had never heard of him. The family listened to the music and then, they agreed for him to play Memorial Day Weekend of 1979.
That man was Patrick Dailey. However, the first weekend he was scheduled encountered great storms. The Put-In-Bay Ferry service stopped. Still, he made it on Sunday. His show filled the room on that Sunday afternoon. Soon, Pat Dailey and the Beer Barrel were synonymous. Every Friday and Saturday night, fans would line up to see Pat play. Quickly, Dailey wrote songs about the island which became the island anthems. Interestingly, the wildly popular Put-In-Bay was written by Pat while sitting next to the Commodore Pool. Pat retired some time ago but he is a legend on the island.
Again, the Colonial rose to be the hub of activity on the island. The Beer Barrel was expanded several times to make room for the large crowds. Also, the Grocery Store grew during this time. From the time Tip first bought the store it had grown three fold. Other additions included the Palm Tree Patio. Here, guests could enjoy cold drinks while chowing down on ribs and chicken. Potted palm trees swayed in the lake breezes.
On that fateful day Friday, May 27, 1988 fire completely destroyed the Colonial in just a short 45 minutes to reduce to ashes. A propane barbeque grill on the outdoor patio was the source of the blaze. Mike Niese, son of the owner, and other employees attempted to put out the fire. Unfortunately, the flames were just too intense and it spread to the building. (I believe they set the grille too close to the building. There is a code you have to set up away from the building. At least 20 feet for some towns as a fact, others different distance of measurement away).
That fire was so massive that it was seen from the Mainland. The Put-In-Bay Fire Department realized it couldn’t successfully fight the Colonial fire when they arrived so they focused on preventing the fire spreading to other nearby buildings.. Also, they had more attention given to 1000 gallon propane tank in the rear of the building. Business owners were hosing down their nearby buildings with hopes to stop the spread. Fortunately, the fire did not cause significant damage to neighboring buildings but not the Colonial. The massive fire completely ended the Colonial for once for all.
After the fire, the Islanders still needed grocery essentials, newspapers, etc.. They sold merchandise out of the back of their trucks. Quickly, the grounds was cleared and they had a huge tent put up ensured the Beer Barrel could remain open for the Summer that year. The grocery store opened in a temporary trailer. Still, Tip Niese vowed to rebuild. So, he employed George Poulos, a renowned local architect, to design the new building. By the end of summer, the large tent was removed to make way for construction of a new building. This time, the building construction was made of concrete and steel. No more could fire wreak havoc as it had so many times before. Sounded familiar with The Ye Olde Mill Roller Rink had those fire experiences.
The new building opened in 1989, complete with the World's Longest Bar. The Beer Barrel Saloon and Tipper’s Restaurant continue to provide the island with great entertainment. Today, the Niese family continues to operate this location.
(Stats and info based on the final generation of building) -
The Interior.
The roller rink was on 2nd floor of the Colonial. Same floor where the dance floor was. Maple wood floor.
The Exterior.
Unique building. It was a two story building with two cupola roof. With Colonialism style. It was unique. It was main attraction with this unique design. It was all wood.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Maple. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built/Renovations: 1905. Demolished: Friday May 27, 1988 due to fire.
Type of Building: Free-Span Wood-Trusses Wood-Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Hip, Cupola top (2), Valle.
Acres: N/A.
Operated: (Overall)-- Saturday, June 16, 1906 to Friday, May 27, 1988.
Reason for Closure: The Fire of Memorial Day Weekend 1988 destroyed the building.
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:
Beer Barrel Saloon - the bar revitalized after the fire of 1988. It is World's Largest Bar.
Visit Put-In-Bay - The Colonial Fire of 1988 History.
Put-In-Bay Photos - The Colonial Fire of 1988 photos of fire.
Put-In-Bay Reservations - The Colonial History.
Date of issue: 10 August 2021.
For office use only:
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 and 16.
It began as the White House in Put-in-Bay. The beginning date was unknown but judging by the photo, it may have built around 1850s. But the photo was taken later. It began as a boarding house where guests could stay to stay to enjoy their vacations. That became a hotel. The name "White House" was because perhaps people saw it was White color and did appear like a supersize house. Or maybe like their own version of the White House that Washington, DC is located.
In 1861, Joseph W Gray, the editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, bought the boarding hotel. He renovated to make the building into a full-time boarding house. Later on, Joseph Gray sold the hotel. The hotel was known as Sweeny, West and Company. As time progressed, the hotel expanded with extra wings constructed. Now, the hotel dubbed the Put-In-Bay House remained.
Unfortunately for the rising popular hotel, tragedy would overtake the fledging enterprise. There was a benefit on August 30, 1878 for a Yellow Fever relief in the South but just before 6 PM, a fire ignited in the cupola at the top of the building. Flames spread throughout too quickly. Sadly, at the time, there was no fire department on the island so that made the community difficult to fight the fire. The people who lived in the area had to form a true difficult a bucket brigade to fight the fire. This was no challenge as the raging fire was far too powerful and the hotel burned to the ground.
There was a speculation pointed to 4 young men as the culprits of the fire. Those four young men were smoking in the cupola.
A fire truck from Sandusky came over via steamer way too late to fight the fire. I am sure that made the whole town to decide to have a fire department. And that test... well, read on.
Because of the first fire destroyed the hotel and the new business with monetary losses due to the fire, Valentine Doller, a prominent Put-In-Bay figure, purchased the same land where the Put-In-Bay House was. Then, he constructed another Put-In-Bay House to replace the burned down boarding hotel, albeit much smaller. The new building was just 200 feet long and could accommodate up to 200 guests.
Sadly, another fire struck again. On September 3, 1907, the second Put-In-Bay House burned to the ground. The newly constructed Colonial Dance Hall nearly caught fire too. Fortunately this time, the residents were able to contain the blaze to the hotel. However, this ominous history would rear its ugly head again.
Before that fire that burned the hotel, the construction of the Colonial was underway in 1905. His company, the Put-In-Bay Amusement Company, paid $20,000 for the hotel property. Their plans included the construction of a large dance hall and skating rink. On June 16, 1906 the Colonial opened its doors to great fanfare. All of the islanders came out to commemorate the joyous occasion.
My note-- It appeared that the hotel was to be part of the new amusement center with the Colonial built close to the hotel so that guests can walk over. This is like what all modern day hotels have-- convention centers and ballrooms today. (I live in the Crossroads of the North East US in Central New York which is the Town of Salina. The Town of Salina hotel district is within 4 short blocks from where I live, walkable for about 10 mins to reach there. Anyway, I have seen them all in the area and knew what they have there. All of them. They all do have at least one conference room in the district.
I can understand what Valentine Doller, not Dollar, D O L L E R. Anyway, what he was aiming for. A resort.
The 1920’s and 30’s saw a surge in dances on the weekends.
The Depression put a hamper for Put-In-Bay and the Colonial. Consequently, the operators of the Colonial Dance Hall faced bankruptcy. So, it was sold to George and Fannie Lonz for $6,250 USD. That means 101,682.63 USD in 2021 for inflation adjustment. That is cheap! Must be they had a fire sale.
Now, the Colonial was under the ownership of the Lonz Family. They operated for the next 25 years of this well-known Put-In-Bay Bar. Over the this tenure, the building’s management varied. During the early 40’s, Bob and Maria Shiele ran the wine room. the wine room was adorned the place with fabric, and painted it to resemble a cave.
Also, Chick Linker ran the roller skating operation. Local publications ran ads with headlines such as, “Roller Skating at the Colonial: A Chick Linker Operation.” Then, from 1945-1947 George Compton ran the operation. Sadly, Compton passed away on October 4, 1947 during a skating party at the end of the season. Many believe a heart attack due to over exertion to be the culprit. Maybe he was skating so much and the pressure of working at the same time.
Then, in 1948, the Lonzes leased to Howard Sutton. Howard’s mother assisted with managing the Colonial. They promoted a wide assortment of events in the building. Interestingly, even a wrestling match occurred. Lonz added a wine tasting area at the East end. At the Colonial, his Lonz Wines from Middle Bass island were available. This room felt like a cave, being dimly lit with deep set booths. Also, past guests remember the room having a perpetual smell of stale wine. Others ran the operation pressing in to the 50’s and 60’s. This include Frank and Alice Crowley, Dale and Adeline Schmidlin and Ralph Zickafoose.
The Colonial faced peril yet another time. The Schnoor & Fuchs Grocery Store caught fire on March 12, 1964. This store, located just to the South, was a complete loss. However, the Colonial at less than 100 feet away, remained unharmed. Shortly after this close call, Lonz decided to sell the Colonial. Just prior to the sale, he sold the neighboring ball field. Then, a developer went on to build the Commodore Motel.
The South Bass Island Company, owned by Al Neff, purchased the building for $20,000. Neff immediately went to work on giving the property updates and improvements. New alleys with automatic pinsetters replaced the dated lanes. Also, this new area had a furnace so that it had year round potential. Bowling leagues formed in the Winter months. Other improvements were to come. The old Lonz wine room transformed in a rustic fashion. Much of the décor utilized reclaimed material, making the space feel very authentic. Quickly, the “Bay 90’s” became one of the islands favorite hangouts. The massive dance floor was also rehabbed at great cost and effort. Wonderful events like the Put-In-Bay Centennial Ball in 1977 and the Founder’s Day Ball in 1979 took place in the renovated Colonial.
The Old Rittman Grocery Store moved in 1968 to the present day location of the Island General Store. The architecture retained the character of the original building. Restored original posts and siding from an old island school were among the building materials. Duane Dress managed the store in the early 1970’s. Then, in the final 3 years that Neff owned the property, Tip Niese ran the grocery store.
The Colonial had new owners in 1979. Tip Niese became owner of the iconic property. He changed the Bay 90’s bar to the present day Beer Barrel Saloon. After overseeing the grocery store in the late 70’s, Tip was poised to be a perfect partner for the property. At this time, George Stoiber and Skip Duggan were interested in buying. Not long after, both Stoiber and Duggan sold out their interests, leaving Niese as the sole owner of the Colonial. Changes were to come for the building. The automatic alleys were removed and replaced with a restaurant ran by Tom Yantz. Also, a video arcade was erected on the ground floor.
There was a man showed up at the Colonial in a van, asking for a music gig. Before leaving, he left a cassette of some of his material. The Niese family had doubts about this unknown entertainer. They had never heard of him. The family listened to the music and then, they agreed for him to play Memorial Day Weekend of 1979.
That man was Patrick Dailey. However, the first weekend he was scheduled encountered great storms. The Put-In-Bay Ferry service stopped. Still, he made it on Sunday. His show filled the room on that Sunday afternoon. Soon, Pat Dailey and the Beer Barrel were synonymous. Every Friday and Saturday night, fans would line up to see Pat play. Quickly, Dailey wrote songs about the island which became the island anthems. Interestingly, the wildly popular Put-In-Bay was written by Pat while sitting next to the Commodore Pool. Pat retired some time ago but he is a legend on the island.
Again, the Colonial rose to be the hub of activity on the island. The Beer Barrel was expanded several times to make room for the large crowds. Also, the Grocery Store grew during this time. From the time Tip first bought the store it had grown three fold. Other additions included the Palm Tree Patio. Here, guests could enjoy cold drinks while chowing down on ribs and chicken. Potted palm trees swayed in the lake breezes.
On that fateful day Friday, May 27, 1988 fire completely destroyed the Colonial in just a short 45 minutes to reduce to ashes. A propane barbeque grill on the outdoor patio was the source of the blaze. Mike Niese, son of the owner, and other employees attempted to put out the fire. Unfortunately, the flames were just too intense and it spread to the building. (I believe they set the grille too close to the building. There is a code you have to set up away from the building. At least 20 feet for some towns as a fact, others different distance of measurement away).
That fire was so massive that it was seen from the Mainland. The Put-In-Bay Fire Department realized it couldn’t successfully fight the Colonial fire when they arrived so they focused on preventing the fire spreading to other nearby buildings.. Also, they had more attention given to 1000 gallon propane tank in the rear of the building. Business owners were hosing down their nearby buildings with hopes to stop the spread. Fortunately, the fire did not cause significant damage to neighboring buildings but not the Colonial. The massive fire completely ended the Colonial for once for all.
After the fire, the Islanders still needed grocery essentials, newspapers, etc.. They sold merchandise out of the back of their trucks. Quickly, the grounds was cleared and they had a huge tent put up ensured the Beer Barrel could remain open for the Summer that year. The grocery store opened in a temporary trailer. Still, Tip Niese vowed to rebuild. So, he employed George Poulos, a renowned local architect, to design the new building. By the end of summer, the large tent was removed to make way for construction of a new building. This time, the building construction was made of concrete and steel. No more could fire wreak havoc as it had so many times before. Sounded familiar with The Ye Olde Mill Roller Rink had those fire experiences.
The new building opened in 1989, complete with the World's Longest Bar. The Beer Barrel Saloon and Tipper’s Restaurant continue to provide the island with great entertainment. Today, the Niese family continues to operate this location.
(Stats and info based on the final generation of building) -
The Interior.
The roller rink was on 2nd floor of the Colonial. Same floor where the dance floor was. Maple wood floor.
The Exterior.
Unique building. It was a two story building with two cupola roof. With Colonialism style. It was unique. It was main attraction with this unique design. It was all wood.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Maple. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built/Renovations: 1905. Demolished: Friday May 27, 1988 due to fire.
Type of Building: Free-Span Wood-Trusses Wood-Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Hip, Cupola top (2), Valle.
Acres: N/A.
Operated: (Overall)-- Saturday, June 16, 1906 to Friday, May 27, 1988.
Reason for Closure: The Fire of Memorial Day Weekend 1988 destroyed the building.
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:
Beer Barrel Saloon - the bar revitalized after the fire of 1988. It is World's Largest Bar.
Visit Put-In-Bay - The Colonial Fire of 1988 History.
Put-In-Bay Photos - The Colonial Fire of 1988 photos of fire.
Put-In-Bay Reservations - The Colonial History.
Date of issue: 10 August 2021.
For office use only:
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 and 16.