Crescent City Roller Rink 2727 Prytania Street, Garden District, New Orleans, LA. It was an advertisement in the newspaper. I noticed the building looked taller and narrower. the actual look is lower, wider. Thanks to Google Map. Courtesy of Times-Democrat newspaper, 16 February, 1885.
Crescent City Roller Rink 2727 Prytania Street, Garden District, New Orleans, LA. Horrible! No, I am not talking about the newspaper photo, I am talking about the Texaco Gas Station! They totally took out walls just for drive through pumping station on that corner. Rest perhaps a waste of space and a shoe shop next door. Perhaps not as big either. Perspective is correct than the 1880s newspaper ad drawing. Taken in July 1978--you can tell with those cars! Courtesy of Times Picayune, July 23, 1978.
Crescent City Roller Rink 2727 Prytania Street, Garden District, New Orleans, LA. As seen today. Courtesy of Google Maps.
Crescent City Roller Rink 2727 Prytania Street, Garden District, New Orleans, LA. As seen in August 2019. Courtesy of Google Maps..
Crescent City Roller Rink 2727 Prytania Street, Garden District, New Orleans, LA. Taken in March 2015. Courtesy of Google Maps.
Crescent City Roller Rink 2727 Prytania Street, Garden District, New Orleans, LA. Courtesy of Rink-History.
Crescent City Roller Rink 2727 Prytania Street, Garden District, New Orleans, LA. History landmark marker. Courtesy of Rink-History.
Crescent City Roller Rink 2727 Prytania Street, Garden District, New Orleans, LA. Beautiful interior of a mini-mall. Courtesy of Rink-History.
Crescent City Roller Rink 2727 Prytania Street, Garden District, New Orleans, LA. Official Grand Opening of the roller rink. Courtesy of Rink-History.
Crescent City Roller Rink 2727 Prytania Street, Garden District, New Orleans, LA
Crescent City Roller Rink was a very old rink at 2727 Prytania Street in the Garden District, a part of New Orleans, Louisiana. It still stands today as a plaza. Folklore had this place as an ICE rink but they were all wrong. It was in fact, a roller rink, period.
Crescent City Roller Rink was built for the purpose of the World's Fair in that city, The World’s Cotton Centennial Exposition.
There were other rinks but they were in halls, meeting halls, etc. but this one was truly built as a roller rink. One of the first in New Orleans and perhaps one of the first true roller rink building in nation and world.
Also was the largest rink of its time. The dimensions were 105 feet by 141 feet for the building and the 70 feet by 119 feet rink was laid out of kiln dried Maple. It was designed for 500 people skate at once with 1000 people watching. That is a large floor plan. Also in this building was a concessions stand, dressing rooms, and an area for a band to assemble and play the night away. Free skating classes were offered, and memberships were encouraged. (Source: Daily Picayune, 31 December 1884).
In December 1884, clearly it was a soft opening and the grand opening was Monday 12 January 1885. It coincidence with the The World's International and Cotton Centennial Exposition, New Orleans, La., open from Dec. 1st 1884 to May 31st 1885, a World's Fair at the time was in NOLA. The rink was operated by Professor Ira W. Daniels of New York who relocated to the city. The opening of the rink with the World's Fair was the main reason and the skating rink lasted beyond the closure of the Fair at the time in June 1885.
It did not last long. They closed in January 1889 to a man who converted the rink to a horse stable and carriage facility and he had drivers. This was sort of a taxi service he had before automobiles just came around. No wonder it was short lived thanks to cars. In 1912, it was leased to Tharp-Bultman (a company related to the stately Bultman Funeral Home on Louisiana and St. Charles,) maybe according to the Daily Picayune.
Also it was a grocery store for a brief time.
What worse it became in 1930s, a Texaco Gas Station! It was operated by the Steiner Brothers. That’s right, a gas station! People were horrified at the time and even a reporter in 1978 spoke of it as it was written in his own words, not mine where as I edited a misspelling:
Shabby and rundown, its original façade has been obscured by tacky additions over the years. At a glance it isn’t even obvious that the corner is occupied by a single large building – one tacked on wing was added to house a shoe repair [s]hop, another served as the expanded entrance to a super market, and sections of one corner were cut out to create a service station. It looks hodgepodge of little businesses all jammed together. (Times Picayune, July 23, 1978)
Yes, I even saw the picture and I was horrified too even in 2020! Horrible! However, I am glad it is now called, The Rink. Love that name and I highly recommend you visit that facility as part of a tour or by yourself. The address is above and you can Google Map or use your personal preference of GPS and find that facility. One of oldest still standing structure but no roller rink. The oldest burned down in 2016 or 2017 in upstate NY so right now, you can skate in oldest building in State of Washington. The Rink is in the Garden District, I saw on Google Map and I highly recommend a visit to that awesome building and the neighborhood! Many tour guides available in the region.
It is presently a shopping plaza with small shoppes and very popular with tourists because it is part of a tour through the city with tour guides making a stop at this famous building. One of most famous building that was a rink and only one I know so far that has a tour guide!
The Interior.
Was the largest rink of its time. The dimensions were 75 feet by 180 feet rink itself was laid out of Hardwood kiln dried Maple. It was designed for 500 people skate at once with 1000 people watching. That is a large floor plan! Included was a concessions stand, dressing rooms, and an area for a band to assemble and play the night away. It had high ceiling according to the photo. It may had second floor. The reporter for the Daily Picayune did not mention that but by observation of the exterior photo, it was likely a second floor.
It was heavily renovated through the years and now, a cute plaza with shoppes and stores which is very popular for tourist because it was a famous roller rink from the 19th Century. It is part of a New Orleans Tour with a tour guide. Excellent, I think this is only rink that has a tour guide to this day!
The Exterior.
Free-Span two-story 19th Century style unique Building with Combination roof style. Sort of Bonnet roof style but the difference is you see in the pictures. Very unique.
The Stats:
Rink Size: 75' by 180' (According to the ad). Floor: Kiln-dried Maple, raw.
Floor Layout: Likely Straight.
Building Size: 105 feet by 141. Built: N/A. Demolished: STILL STANDING! Totaled renovated several times (1889, 1912, 1930s, c. 2000-2023) Registered as National Historic.
Type of Building: Free-Span two-story 19th Century style unique Building.
Roof: Combination
Acres: N/A.
Acres: N/A.
Architect: John F. Braun (1884)
Contractor: N/A.
Interior Designer: N/A.
Organ: Possible.
10 Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Duck Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Candlestick Bowling Lanes: None.
Pocket Billiard Tables: N/A.
Amusement Rides: None.
Driving Range Slots: None.
Miniature Golf Course: None.
Arcade: Likely none.
Skee-Ball: N/A.
Fascination: None.
Restaurant: None.
Cocktail lounge: None.
Laser Tag: None.
Bounce Houses: None.
Bumper Cars: None.
Go-Kart: None.
Motel: None.
Swimming Pool: None.
Jungle Gym Playground: None.
Skate Park: None.
Theater (movie/stage): None.
Operated:
Soft Opening in December 1884, Grand Opening on Monday, 12 January 1885; 7:30 PM to January 1889.
Reason for Closure: Popular but owner sold to a man who wanted to convert it to a horse stable.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of closed, size of rink, rink materials. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at Rink-History©. Before you email, please state this rink name AND THE CITY AND STATE (or COUNTRY) so I can know where or what rink you are talking about. Thank you. We welcome both active and defunct rinks. Was it free span or had posts?
Sources:
The Rink
Map Carta - Rink Shopping Center
Trip Advisor - The Rink
A Tour Guide - The Rink
Book Explorer - Book store in The Rink
NOLA Tours - Crescent City Roller Rink / The Rink,
Times Picayune (various times),
Times-Democrat (various times), Big Boy Travel (tour guide)
Doug Albert (tour guide)
NOLA newspaper - Note, you cannot see online because you have to subscribe but I was able to grasp it and read.
Date of issue:
2020.
UPDATED:
02 June 2023.
For office use only: 9.
Worth to visit:
YES! It is a landmark historic building still standing today. Second of all, it is a shopping mall so please stop by there! Sadly the historic landmark sign missed the point. It should have said roller rink. But you know that thanks to us at Rink-History!
DISCLAIMER:
International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© (formerly known as Dead-Rinks) and Mark Falso are not responsible for your physical and legal injuries you may have caused. We do not endorse such illegal activities including breaking and entry of former rinks, malls, abandoned buildings, etc. Please always obey laws and regulations and property owner's signs. Some states allow purple paint on fence which means they even have guns on their property and have rights to shoot you. Please DO NOT attempt to enter property without permission!
For abandoned rinks, after you receive permission, do WEAR safety OSHA equipment including a safety glasses, pair of safety gloves, an orange vest or a jacket, and a construction helmet.
Thank you for understanding.
Dead Rinks is now International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© because many former names have become new names at the same rinks that are still active and due to much confusion, We have decided that International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© fits better for all rinks including defunct, closed, inactive, rebooted, and rinks that are still active today. For short on this site, it is International Roller Skating Rinks History© Bear with us as we change the entire site page by page each day. Thank you for understanding.
Second of all: The contents including words and photos above on this page and/or on any pages are purely educational entertainment purposes only. I provide what information from other websites, skaters, and operators and it may end up with different results between two (or more) sources. It is not our responsible for errors we caused. All sources are shown on each page. All opinions and statements of mine are also stated and are for purely educational entertainment only.
Rinks that are closed are considered dead. Rinks that are/were sold and with new management names new name(s), the former are considered dead. Previous operating rink that closed but came back years later, are considered dead because the reopening is considered rebooted, nothing to do with the former. Since we are rebooted to allow alive rinks, active rinks, we welcome those active rinks as well. It will be described.
As for “For Office Only” is for my reasoning and private legal reason for that.
Any music associated with any YouTube or any other videos provided on International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© are not the property of International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group and/or International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© therefore we do not own the rights to the music.
All photos you submitted or we retrieved become property of International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© and are watermarked but they are credited to you (or where the source is from). Thank you for understanding. To understand more about this, please go to this page: Disclaimer.
© Copyrighted by International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation©, an International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 to 16. Deut. 32:7.
Crescent City Roller Rink was built for the purpose of the World's Fair in that city, The World’s Cotton Centennial Exposition.
There were other rinks but they were in halls, meeting halls, etc. but this one was truly built as a roller rink. One of the first in New Orleans and perhaps one of the first true roller rink building in nation and world.
Also was the largest rink of its time. The dimensions were 105 feet by 141 feet for the building and the 70 feet by 119 feet rink was laid out of kiln dried Maple. It was designed for 500 people skate at once with 1000 people watching. That is a large floor plan. Also in this building was a concessions stand, dressing rooms, and an area for a band to assemble and play the night away. Free skating classes were offered, and memberships were encouraged. (Source: Daily Picayune, 31 December 1884).
In December 1884, clearly it was a soft opening and the grand opening was Monday 12 January 1885. It coincidence with the The World's International and Cotton Centennial Exposition, New Orleans, La., open from Dec. 1st 1884 to May 31st 1885, a World's Fair at the time was in NOLA. The rink was operated by Professor Ira W. Daniels of New York who relocated to the city. The opening of the rink with the World's Fair was the main reason and the skating rink lasted beyond the closure of the Fair at the time in June 1885.
It did not last long. They closed in January 1889 to a man who converted the rink to a horse stable and carriage facility and he had drivers. This was sort of a taxi service he had before automobiles just came around. No wonder it was short lived thanks to cars. In 1912, it was leased to Tharp-Bultman (a company related to the stately Bultman Funeral Home on Louisiana and St. Charles,) maybe according to the Daily Picayune.
Also it was a grocery store for a brief time.
What worse it became in 1930s, a Texaco Gas Station! It was operated by the Steiner Brothers. That’s right, a gas station! People were horrified at the time and even a reporter in 1978 spoke of it as it was written in his own words, not mine where as I edited a misspelling:
Shabby and rundown, its original façade has been obscured by tacky additions over the years. At a glance it isn’t even obvious that the corner is occupied by a single large building – one tacked on wing was added to house a shoe repair [s]hop, another served as the expanded entrance to a super market, and sections of one corner were cut out to create a service station. It looks hodgepodge of little businesses all jammed together. (Times Picayune, July 23, 1978)
Yes, I even saw the picture and I was horrified too even in 2020! Horrible! However, I am glad it is now called, The Rink. Love that name and I highly recommend you visit that facility as part of a tour or by yourself. The address is above and you can Google Map or use your personal preference of GPS and find that facility. One of oldest still standing structure but no roller rink. The oldest burned down in 2016 or 2017 in upstate NY so right now, you can skate in oldest building in State of Washington. The Rink is in the Garden District, I saw on Google Map and I highly recommend a visit to that awesome building and the neighborhood! Many tour guides available in the region.
It is presently a shopping plaza with small shoppes and very popular with tourists because it is part of a tour through the city with tour guides making a stop at this famous building. One of most famous building that was a rink and only one I know so far that has a tour guide!
The Interior.
Was the largest rink of its time. The dimensions were 75 feet by 180 feet rink itself was laid out of Hardwood kiln dried Maple. It was designed for 500 people skate at once with 1000 people watching. That is a large floor plan! Included was a concessions stand, dressing rooms, and an area for a band to assemble and play the night away. It had high ceiling according to the photo. It may had second floor. The reporter for the Daily Picayune did not mention that but by observation of the exterior photo, it was likely a second floor.
It was heavily renovated through the years and now, a cute plaza with shoppes and stores which is very popular for tourist because it was a famous roller rink from the 19th Century. It is part of a New Orleans Tour with a tour guide. Excellent, I think this is only rink that has a tour guide to this day!
The Exterior.
Free-Span two-story 19th Century style unique Building with Combination roof style. Sort of Bonnet roof style but the difference is you see in the pictures. Very unique.
The Stats:
Rink Size: 75' by 180' (According to the ad). Floor: Kiln-dried Maple, raw.
Floor Layout: Likely Straight.
Building Size: 105 feet by 141. Built: N/A. Demolished: STILL STANDING! Totaled renovated several times (1889, 1912, 1930s, c. 2000-2023) Registered as National Historic.
Type of Building: Free-Span two-story 19th Century style unique Building.
Roof: Combination
Acres: N/A.
Acres: N/A.
Architect: John F. Braun (1884)
Contractor: N/A.
Interior Designer: N/A.
Organ: Possible.
10 Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Duck Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Candlestick Bowling Lanes: None.
Pocket Billiard Tables: N/A.
Amusement Rides: None.
Driving Range Slots: None.
Miniature Golf Course: None.
Arcade: Likely none.
Skee-Ball: N/A.
Fascination: None.
Restaurant: None.
Cocktail lounge: None.
Laser Tag: None.
Bounce Houses: None.
Bumper Cars: None.
Go-Kart: None.
Motel: None.
Swimming Pool: None.
Jungle Gym Playground: None.
Skate Park: None.
Theater (movie/stage): None.
Operated:
Soft Opening in December 1884, Grand Opening on Monday, 12 January 1885; 7:30 PM to January 1889.
Reason for Closure: Popular but owner sold to a man who wanted to convert it to a horse stable.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of closed, size of rink, rink materials. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at Rink-History©. Before you email, please state this rink name AND THE CITY AND STATE (or COUNTRY) so I can know where or what rink you are talking about. Thank you. We welcome both active and defunct rinks. Was it free span or had posts?
Sources:
The Rink
Map Carta - Rink Shopping Center
Trip Advisor - The Rink
A Tour Guide - The Rink
Book Explorer - Book store in The Rink
NOLA Tours - Crescent City Roller Rink / The Rink,
Times Picayune (various times),
Times-Democrat (various times), Big Boy Travel (tour guide)
Doug Albert (tour guide)
NOLA newspaper - Note, you cannot see online because you have to subscribe but I was able to grasp it and read.
Date of issue:
2020.
UPDATED:
02 June 2023.
For office use only: 9.
Worth to visit:
YES! It is a landmark historic building still standing today. Second of all, it is a shopping mall so please stop by there! Sadly the historic landmark sign missed the point. It should have said roller rink. But you know that thanks to us at Rink-History!
DISCLAIMER:
International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© (formerly known as Dead-Rinks) and Mark Falso are not responsible for your physical and legal injuries you may have caused. We do not endorse such illegal activities including breaking and entry of former rinks, malls, abandoned buildings, etc. Please always obey laws and regulations and property owner's signs. Some states allow purple paint on fence which means they even have guns on their property and have rights to shoot you. Please DO NOT attempt to enter property without permission!
For abandoned rinks, after you receive permission, do WEAR safety OSHA equipment including a safety glasses, pair of safety gloves, an orange vest or a jacket, and a construction helmet.
Thank you for understanding.
Dead Rinks is now International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© because many former names have become new names at the same rinks that are still active and due to much confusion, We have decided that International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© fits better for all rinks including defunct, closed, inactive, rebooted, and rinks that are still active today. For short on this site, it is International Roller Skating Rinks History© Bear with us as we change the entire site page by page each day. Thank you for understanding.
Second of all: The contents including words and photos above on this page and/or on any pages are purely educational entertainment purposes only. I provide what information from other websites, skaters, and operators and it may end up with different results between two (or more) sources. It is not our responsible for errors we caused. All sources are shown on each page. All opinions and statements of mine are also stated and are for purely educational entertainment only.
Rinks that are closed are considered dead. Rinks that are/were sold and with new management names new name(s), the former are considered dead. Previous operating rink that closed but came back years later, are considered dead because the reopening is considered rebooted, nothing to do with the former. Since we are rebooted to allow alive rinks, active rinks, we welcome those active rinks as well. It will be described.
As for “For Office Only” is for my reasoning and private legal reason for that.
Any music associated with any YouTube or any other videos provided on International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© are not the property of International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group and/or International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© therefore we do not own the rights to the music.
All photos you submitted or we retrieved become property of International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© and are watermarked but they are credited to you (or where the source is from). Thank you for understanding. To understand more about this, please go to this page: Disclaimer.
© Copyrighted by International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation©, an International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 to 16. Deut. 32:7.