Courtesy: Cardboard America
Courtesy of Loretochurch.com on Pinerest. (Notice the comparison) of the past and modern photos? The pin explains where exactly the building was and now a parking lot. Hard to see because the actual building was behind the 4 story building with the billboard. That building was demolished where the street and two buildings with one with pink colored wall (see below).
Courtesy of Google Map. Notice the gas station? It is close to where the original was. But further apart because of a new street added. Many buildings torn down compared to the old B/W photos (see above).
Eastern Parkway Roller Skating Rink, 1435 Eastern Parkway, Brownsville, Brooklyn, NY
This was a very short lived rink before it became Eastern Parkway Arena where they had boxing matches in New York City perhaps before the Garden became main home for boxing matches in the City.
It was established by a partner and the owner of Brooklyn's Empire Rink. The building where Eastern Parkway was originally a taxi cab garage. It was very large. The rink often had crowds of over 1000 skaters in one session. The operators were: Emil Lence and John Lence and Louis Camardella.
Quotes from the wife whose husband skated at this very rink said in her email to me--
There were several skate boys all putting on skates. The floor guards wore uniforms similar to hotel bell boys. The restrooms had attendants with brushes to clean the powder from the skating floor off your clothes. Within a year he got permission to sell and repair skates there.
The rink was quite small and by observation of the photographs of boxing matches on Getty Images, the photos were not all clear. It appeared to be rudiment design of roof. It was not an arched roof. It was basic open ceiling with truss support. Part of the ceilings you can see truss in crisscross form of support.
The old black and white photo showing the facility is on the left half side on a forked corner. The automobiles shown in that photo appeared to be 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. The rink was housed in a standard looking building with 3 storys. It was not like any other rinks of its day that were bigger, arched format. This was simple rink perhaps the size of a high school or at least NBA size basketball court instead of a standard hockey rink size for a roller rink.
Perhaps it was well hidden in that building the actual design. It can and has happened to many facilities today including drama/play theaters, movie houses, art theater houses, and any other purposes.
The rink was opened in 1944 only to last till 1947 when both clothing manufacturer Emil Lence and his father John Lence, who converted the rink to a boxing club in 1947 according to Wikipedia and Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Perhaps they kept some of the time as a skating rink until 1953 when they ceased operations.
The arena was shut down for good on May 16, 1955. But the arena came back for eight shows in 1958, before closing for good on July 5, 1958. and then the building was demolished for good.
Today, it houses several different apartment complexes and the small gas station in the old photo today houses a modern gas station according to Google Map. They demolished to make room for a parking lot, apartment buildings, and a new street between the old facility and the modern gas station.
Interior:
The rink itself was mainly made for roller skating but eventually phrased out and became boxing place. It can hold 500 people to watch a boxing event. But for roller skating, it held at least a 1000 people per session. It was rather huge place. Only you can use the modern day map to see the size of the parking lot, you can tell how big the rink was.
Likely wood floor, of course.
Exterior:
Likely it was a few stories high building. All brick based on all building in the neighborhood you see in the Black and white.
Rink size: N/A Floor: Wood Floor Layout: N/A
Building Size: N/A Built: N/A Demolished: N/A Now parking lot (see map).
Type of Building: Free Span Steel Brick Building. Three-story building.
Roof: Flat
Acres: N/A
Operations: 1944 to May 16, 1955 (boxing back in 1958 then closed in same year, July 5, 1958).
Reason for Closure: N/A
Wanted: More information and photos.
Sources: Wikipedia, Getty Images, Flickr, Google Map. Box Rec - History; Private email from a skater's wife.
© 2019 - 2020 Dead Rinks. All Rights Reserved.
It was established by a partner and the owner of Brooklyn's Empire Rink. The building where Eastern Parkway was originally a taxi cab garage. It was very large. The rink often had crowds of over 1000 skaters in one session. The operators were: Emil Lence and John Lence and Louis Camardella.
Quotes from the wife whose husband skated at this very rink said in her email to me--
There were several skate boys all putting on skates. The floor guards wore uniforms similar to hotel bell boys. The restrooms had attendants with brushes to clean the powder from the skating floor off your clothes. Within a year he got permission to sell and repair skates there.
The rink was quite small and by observation of the photographs of boxing matches on Getty Images, the photos were not all clear. It appeared to be rudiment design of roof. It was not an arched roof. It was basic open ceiling with truss support. Part of the ceilings you can see truss in crisscross form of support.
The old black and white photo showing the facility is on the left half side on a forked corner. The automobiles shown in that photo appeared to be 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s. The rink was housed in a standard looking building with 3 storys. It was not like any other rinks of its day that were bigger, arched format. This was simple rink perhaps the size of a high school or at least NBA size basketball court instead of a standard hockey rink size for a roller rink.
Perhaps it was well hidden in that building the actual design. It can and has happened to many facilities today including drama/play theaters, movie houses, art theater houses, and any other purposes.
The rink was opened in 1944 only to last till 1947 when both clothing manufacturer Emil Lence and his father John Lence, who converted the rink to a boxing club in 1947 according to Wikipedia and Brooklyn Daily Eagle. Perhaps they kept some of the time as a skating rink until 1953 when they ceased operations.
The arena was shut down for good on May 16, 1955. But the arena came back for eight shows in 1958, before closing for good on July 5, 1958. and then the building was demolished for good.
Today, it houses several different apartment complexes and the small gas station in the old photo today houses a modern gas station according to Google Map. They demolished to make room for a parking lot, apartment buildings, and a new street between the old facility and the modern gas station.
Interior:
The rink itself was mainly made for roller skating but eventually phrased out and became boxing place. It can hold 500 people to watch a boxing event. But for roller skating, it held at least a 1000 people per session. It was rather huge place. Only you can use the modern day map to see the size of the parking lot, you can tell how big the rink was.
Likely wood floor, of course.
Exterior:
Likely it was a few stories high building. All brick based on all building in the neighborhood you see in the Black and white.
Rink size: N/A Floor: Wood Floor Layout: N/A
Building Size: N/A Built: N/A Demolished: N/A Now parking lot (see map).
Type of Building: Free Span Steel Brick Building. Three-story building.
Roof: Flat
Acres: N/A
Operations: 1944 to May 16, 1955 (boxing back in 1958 then closed in same year, July 5, 1958).
Reason for Closure: N/A
Wanted: More information and photos.
Sources: Wikipedia, Getty Images, Flickr, Google Map. Box Rec - History; Private email from a skater's wife.
© 2019 - 2020 Dead Rinks. All Rights Reserved.