Crystal Springs Skating Rink 38030 Central Avenue, Zephyrhills, FL. A sign pointed the way as seen in April 2011. It was off road a few hundreds feet away into the Floridian Marshes and forest. Source: Google.
Crystal Springs Skating Rink 38030 Central Avenue, Zephyrhills, FL. The location where the roller rink was. It was off road a few hundreds feet away into the Floridian Marshes and forest. Source: Google.
Crystal Springs Skating Rink 38030 Central Avenue, Zephyrhills, FL. This was what this rink was like. Source: Brain the Blogger.
Crystal Springs Skating Rink 38030 Central Avenue, Zephyrhills, FL. An aging sign points where the roller rink was. It was off road a few hundreds feet away into the Floridian Marshes. Source: Brain the Blogger.
Crystal Springs Skating Rink 38030 Central Avenue, Zephyrhills, FL. Advertisement for the pre-fab/manufactured building that was used for City Roller Rink and likely for sure, Crystal Springs Skating Rink, both of the same town. Source: Tampa Sunday Tribune Sunday 23 February 1947. Page 16 A.
Crystal Springs Skating Rink 38030 Central Avenue, Zephyrhills, FL. An awesome article about the rink and bit of everything about it. Sorry about the size because it was half-page of the full-size daily newspaper. Please zoom in if you have cell phone. If you have laptop, go to task bar and click on the three vertical dots and zoom bigger to read the entire article. Hope that helps! Source: The Tampa Tribune Saturday 24 July 1999, Page 20. Copyrighted Digitally Remastered by Dead-Rinks (cleanup, resized, darken fonts).
Crystal Springs Skating Rink 38030 Central Avenue, Zephyrhills, Florida
Crystal Spring Skating Rink was rather a seduced rink set in the thick forestry by the swamps of Florida between Gulf of Mexico and Orlando, kind of Northeast of Tampa. This rink looked very antiquated and entirely in wood. Built with wood. The owner started by building this rink. A YouTube account explained about the rink very clearly.
It was opened in September 1939. The rink was built and opened by Walter T. Curtis. He was from Texas and he and his family relocated to Zephyrhills. And operated a sawmill and was a skilled carpenter. Walter wanted to build a dance hall in the picturesque location of Crystal Springs near the legendary springs, instead a skating rink. Walter personally milled all of the rough cut pine which provides the signature look of the vintage Depression-era building that gives one a feel of walking back into a bygone era. Imported Tennessee Maple for the tongue and groove flooring that Walter painstakingly installed.
Walter Curtis leased the area for 10 years and operated a swimming pool next to the rink for some time. His daughter, Bernice, met her future husband, Truman Rooks at the swimming pool, and another chapter of the rink’s history began when Truman Rooks took the reins in 1972. Skating was a tradition for the Curtis-Rooks family.
This is what this person, Legend813a has to say on December 29, 2007, edited for short content (longer version, read here.)
If Walter T. Curtis had his way (in 1941) the rough-sawed lumber building at the end of Central Avenue would probably be long abandoned, or knocked down. "He wanted to build a dance hall," Curtis' daughter, Bernice Rooks, says. " But Mama wouldn't okay it. He wanted beer and everything." What sprang up in the compromise was a roller-skating rink. Curtis sawed the timber himself and had the place built in the fall of 1939. Large windows with heavy shutters and no screens lined the pine walls. An ancient Michigan cash register held money behind the counter. A tin roof provided cover in the thick s tand of oaks, just steps from the banks of the Hillsborough River, between Plant City and Zephyrhills. Children, teenagers and adults glided around the floor, popular music floating through the air. That was Crystal Springs Roller Rink then, and now.
"There ain't nothin' new around here much," says Truman Rooks, the 74-year-old proprietor, Curtis' son-in-law and Bernice's husband. Mr. Rooks, as he is called by young and old who cross the threshold, is the soul of this place now. A living symbol of Old Florida, he paces around quietly, a ball cap perched high on his balding head. He speaks with purpose, using his gravelly voice to great effect. Over the crackling public address system, Mr. Rooks scolds kids when they skate too fast or huddle too closely in the dark corners. His words are indecipherable in the din, but offenders know to quickly shape up. His other weapon is an oversized flashlight of shiny silver, the most modern-looking thing in the building. He shines it on unruly skaters.
"It's like a highway patrol," Rooks says with a grin. "I done got 'em clocked." But for all his toughness with the kids, they are the reason he turns on the lights and the music for two hours every Friday and Saturday night. He pats them on the head and knows their names - and their parents' names. He's not a cozy Santa Claus figure, just a man who has been in one place long enough to know its people. "These kids around here ain't got a lot of money,"
Rooks says. "I keep it open for them to have somewhere to go." In quiet Crystal Springs, there are plenty of churches and shady places to sit and look at the river. Its only other recreation landmark is closed to the public: The springs where people swam and picnicked for generations is the source of Zephyrhills Natural Spring Water and site of a private nature preserve. Walter Curtis ran the springs for years. It's where Truman and Bernice first met, in 1947. Curtis had a dream of owning the springs - and even acquired the $8,000 to buy it - but the deal never came together and he turned his attention to other pursuits. When the rink opened, the cost to skate was 35 cents. Now the price is up to $3. You can bring your own skates - inline or otherwise - or you can use a pair of the soft suede skates with orange wheels kept in every size on the shelves. Either way, it's $3. "One little girl didn't have but $2.80," Rooks confides. "We let her in." Sodas and candy bars are 75 cents. Throughout the night, kids roll up to the weathered counter, crashing into it with a thud, and slap down a dollar or three quarters and blurt their orders. "Sunkist!"
"Butterfinger!" Rooks or his daughter takes the money. The old brass register is still there, but the drawer just sits open, the coins held in change purses. Every transaction is recorded on a white legal pad. Out on the rink - smooth as glass, made of Tennessee maple - 30 or 40 kids whiz by again and again. The little, wobbly ones cling to a rope strung through the middle of the room. The older ones stick to the outside lanes, trying to achieve speed records on inline skates. Mostly country music blares through the speakers, because that's what Mr. Rooks likes. The CDs have taken the place of waltzes played on 78-rpm records. In the parking lot there might not be a single car. Parents drop off their kids, taking advantage of the inexpensive babysitting. No one loiters. Mr. Rooks won't have it. He peers out the open window every few minutes, looking something like a cattle farmer searching for wanderers. "I don't allow nobody in the parking lot," he says. "They're supposed to be inside." Simply put, if they come, they come to skate. "That's right," Rooks says, winking. "That's right." Like her mother before her, Megan Ames comes to the rink just about every weekend. It's a good dating place and a good hangout place," she says.
As the description said, it was all wood, interior it was two tone walls with Off White Chocolate with Standard Chocolate color painted on he wall. Maple wood floor, wood all over- walls but the exterior walls were all tin metal as well as the roof itself.
It sounded romantic location to skate with stormer lids opened for air and no bug screens. It was all open and enjoy the Florida evenings by the swamps and into the cozy forest. This would have been one of the most romantic rink ever built. Its time stool still.
Apparently this rink had a main sponsor/vendor which was Coke Cola as seen on the sign and the building. Very much advertised with that soda brand.
Well, it has closed for good in this decade as of 2015 according to area patrons. Sadly the romance of this rink is now found only in the hearts of romantic people to remember this rink.
Interior:
The interior was all wood. Very antiqued look. That was the normal architecture of its day. It was entirely wood. Maple wood floor, Stick built walls and Trusses. The walls and studs and any other uses were all pine wood he installed but the floor was imported Tennessee Maple tongue and groove flooring.
With 18 windows and several large fans. Air Conditioning was not needed.
Exterior:
As I said about the stick built, it was entirely Gable roof building made of wood. Floor was Maple, walls, stick built, everything in wood. It is surrounded by trees and the Floridan Swamps.
Rink Size: N/A Floor: Tennessee Maple Floor Layout: N/A
Building Size: N/A Built: 1939
Type of Building: Vintage Depression-era style Column-supported Pine wood truss Pine stick built Building
Roof: Gable
Acres: N/A
Operated: September 1939 to 2015
Reason for Closure: N/A
Wanted: Information regarding exactly when opened and closed. Size. Photo of interior.
Sources:
YouTube,
Brian the Blogger
Zephyrhills 100th.
Email - M.W./Pasco County Historical Facebook page
Date of issue: Spring 2019. Updated: Tuesday 15 June 2021. Updated: 05 November 2021.
For Office Only: 6/1
© Dead Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3, 16.
It was opened in September 1939. The rink was built and opened by Walter T. Curtis. He was from Texas and he and his family relocated to Zephyrhills. And operated a sawmill and was a skilled carpenter. Walter wanted to build a dance hall in the picturesque location of Crystal Springs near the legendary springs, instead a skating rink. Walter personally milled all of the rough cut pine which provides the signature look of the vintage Depression-era building that gives one a feel of walking back into a bygone era. Imported Tennessee Maple for the tongue and groove flooring that Walter painstakingly installed.
Walter Curtis leased the area for 10 years and operated a swimming pool next to the rink for some time. His daughter, Bernice, met her future husband, Truman Rooks at the swimming pool, and another chapter of the rink’s history began when Truman Rooks took the reins in 1972. Skating was a tradition for the Curtis-Rooks family.
This is what this person, Legend813a has to say on December 29, 2007, edited for short content (longer version, read here.)
If Walter T. Curtis had his way (in 1941) the rough-sawed lumber building at the end of Central Avenue would probably be long abandoned, or knocked down. "He wanted to build a dance hall," Curtis' daughter, Bernice Rooks, says. " But Mama wouldn't okay it. He wanted beer and everything." What sprang up in the compromise was a roller-skating rink. Curtis sawed the timber himself and had the place built in the fall of 1939. Large windows with heavy shutters and no screens lined the pine walls. An ancient Michigan cash register held money behind the counter. A tin roof provided cover in the thick s tand of oaks, just steps from the banks of the Hillsborough River, between Plant City and Zephyrhills. Children, teenagers and adults glided around the floor, popular music floating through the air. That was Crystal Springs Roller Rink then, and now.
"There ain't nothin' new around here much," says Truman Rooks, the 74-year-old proprietor, Curtis' son-in-law and Bernice's husband. Mr. Rooks, as he is called by young and old who cross the threshold, is the soul of this place now. A living symbol of Old Florida, he paces around quietly, a ball cap perched high on his balding head. He speaks with purpose, using his gravelly voice to great effect. Over the crackling public address system, Mr. Rooks scolds kids when they skate too fast or huddle too closely in the dark corners. His words are indecipherable in the din, but offenders know to quickly shape up. His other weapon is an oversized flashlight of shiny silver, the most modern-looking thing in the building. He shines it on unruly skaters.
"It's like a highway patrol," Rooks says with a grin. "I done got 'em clocked." But for all his toughness with the kids, they are the reason he turns on the lights and the music for two hours every Friday and Saturday night. He pats them on the head and knows their names - and their parents' names. He's not a cozy Santa Claus figure, just a man who has been in one place long enough to know its people. "These kids around here ain't got a lot of money,"
Rooks says. "I keep it open for them to have somewhere to go." In quiet Crystal Springs, there are plenty of churches and shady places to sit and look at the river. Its only other recreation landmark is closed to the public: The springs where people swam and picnicked for generations is the source of Zephyrhills Natural Spring Water and site of a private nature preserve. Walter Curtis ran the springs for years. It's where Truman and Bernice first met, in 1947. Curtis had a dream of owning the springs - and even acquired the $8,000 to buy it - but the deal never came together and he turned his attention to other pursuits. When the rink opened, the cost to skate was 35 cents. Now the price is up to $3. You can bring your own skates - inline or otherwise - or you can use a pair of the soft suede skates with orange wheels kept in every size on the shelves. Either way, it's $3. "One little girl didn't have but $2.80," Rooks confides. "We let her in." Sodas and candy bars are 75 cents. Throughout the night, kids roll up to the weathered counter, crashing into it with a thud, and slap down a dollar or three quarters and blurt their orders. "Sunkist!"
"Butterfinger!" Rooks or his daughter takes the money. The old brass register is still there, but the drawer just sits open, the coins held in change purses. Every transaction is recorded on a white legal pad. Out on the rink - smooth as glass, made of Tennessee maple - 30 or 40 kids whiz by again and again. The little, wobbly ones cling to a rope strung through the middle of the room. The older ones stick to the outside lanes, trying to achieve speed records on inline skates. Mostly country music blares through the speakers, because that's what Mr. Rooks likes. The CDs have taken the place of waltzes played on 78-rpm records. In the parking lot there might not be a single car. Parents drop off their kids, taking advantage of the inexpensive babysitting. No one loiters. Mr. Rooks won't have it. He peers out the open window every few minutes, looking something like a cattle farmer searching for wanderers. "I don't allow nobody in the parking lot," he says. "They're supposed to be inside." Simply put, if they come, they come to skate. "That's right," Rooks says, winking. "That's right." Like her mother before her, Megan Ames comes to the rink just about every weekend. It's a good dating place and a good hangout place," she says.
As the description said, it was all wood, interior it was two tone walls with Off White Chocolate with Standard Chocolate color painted on he wall. Maple wood floor, wood all over- walls but the exterior walls were all tin metal as well as the roof itself.
It sounded romantic location to skate with stormer lids opened for air and no bug screens. It was all open and enjoy the Florida evenings by the swamps and into the cozy forest. This would have been one of the most romantic rink ever built. Its time stool still.
Apparently this rink had a main sponsor/vendor which was Coke Cola as seen on the sign and the building. Very much advertised with that soda brand.
Well, it has closed for good in this decade as of 2015 according to area patrons. Sadly the romance of this rink is now found only in the hearts of romantic people to remember this rink.
Interior:
The interior was all wood. Very antiqued look. That was the normal architecture of its day. It was entirely wood. Maple wood floor, Stick built walls and Trusses. The walls and studs and any other uses were all pine wood he installed but the floor was imported Tennessee Maple tongue and groove flooring.
With 18 windows and several large fans. Air Conditioning was not needed.
Exterior:
As I said about the stick built, it was entirely Gable roof building made of wood. Floor was Maple, walls, stick built, everything in wood. It is surrounded by trees and the Floridan Swamps.
Rink Size: N/A Floor: Tennessee Maple Floor Layout: N/A
Building Size: N/A Built: 1939
Type of Building: Vintage Depression-era style Column-supported Pine wood truss Pine stick built Building
Roof: Gable
Acres: N/A
Operated: September 1939 to 2015
Reason for Closure: N/A
Wanted: Information regarding exactly when opened and closed. Size. Photo of interior.
Sources:
YouTube,
Brian the Blogger
Zephyrhills 100th.
Email - M.W./Pasco County Historical Facebook page
Date of issue: Spring 2019. Updated: Tuesday 15 June 2021. Updated: 05 November 2021.
For Office Only: 6/1
© Dead Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3, 16.