Gateway Rollerdrome 1855 Cassat Avenue, Jacksonville, FL. This was the former rink, now a shopping plaza. Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks.
Video courtesy of Rob Roberts on YouTube.
Gateway Rollerdrome 1855 Cassat Avenue, Jacksonville, FL
Rollerdrome 1855 Cassat Avenue, Jacksonville, FL
Gateway was properly named for this area because Jacksonville, FL is a gateway town near the border with Georgia. There are many Gateway businesses and areas named with Gateway. Of course, we know about the computer company too. Anyway, Gateway ran from 1965 to 2005. It ran a good 40 years. It is sad it would celebrate 40th anniversary at the end of its life. Missing out even 50th. Well, Gateway ran as a rink for 40 years serving in Jacksonville area for all ages. It was opened by a couple named Henry and Merlene Haffke.
There is no photos available when it was in operations. Only left is a YouTube video which is shown above. The video shows it was in black and white which is not normal for 2000s. It was not shaky like a person would do. Likely that was a security video mounted on a corner.
It showed it had that starburst light with diamond ball in center of the rink ceiling. One of those rinks with very common lighting and ball set up.
I cannot tell what the floor was. The video apparently showed as a security camera-like that is normally bit grainy. However, I can see quite a bit of skaters go by as the background was well lit which may have been a snack bar and skate rental area. Again, all grainy and only disco lights on. They did have though ceiling tube lights, likely colored and globe lights pendents as well. Apparently it was set up in the 1960s because those were common materials set up at the time.
The fate of the building is unknown because now its a small shopping plaza on the corner.
This is all I can find about the rink. Color pictures would be appreciated. Both interior and exterior.
UPDATE! --
I just received an email as it popped up in my gmail from a skater who was there. This is what he has to say--
So, I have some info about this location.
I went to a school pretty close by in the 90's and we would walk there after school sometimes. Sometimes specifically as a school function and sometimes the kids would just go.
I don't have any photos or videos. I wish I did, but I can tell you what the inside was like and the placement of things.
I think the only place in the entire building that had carpet was the small entrance room where the ticket window was, and the DJ booth.
The video you have on the page is from the DJ booth and what you suspect is the concession stand is indeed that, however, the rentals were actually to the right of that in what would be the opposite corner from this camera angle. It's hard to tell just how far back that corner goes on the right of the concessions, but it's actually another seating area and the rentals are on what is on the right wall from this perspective. In front of the concessions was a seating area. After the rentals was all that arcade games, followed by the bathrooms and then nothing after that. there was a painting of some cats on the wall just past the bathrooms if I remember right and the rink itself just backed up to the wall. The DJ booth sat at an angle against the back wall and what is the left wall in the perspective in the video and was an enclosed room.
On the website it says the building was cinderblock, but some of the walls were just sheet steel. Specifically the one just out of frame on the left. I remember because it was worn away a bit at the bottom and let light through. Along that side of the rink there were also wood benches between angled support beams with no lights. The entrance to the building is on the left side of the video, to the left of concessions.
If there are any other details you might want to know or if I find pictures I'll let you know.
Awesome and I cannot wait to see the photos if you can find them!
Anyone else?
Interior:
See the email I pasted above. All is there.
Exterior:
I do nto know what the exterior was like. It was total renovated. Thanks to the photo.
Rink Size: N/A Floor: N/A Floor Layout: N/A
Building Size: 34,700 SF.
Building Size: N/A Built: N/A Renovations: N/A. Demolished: Still standing, now plaza.
Type of Building: Free Span Cinderblock Building.
Roof: Gable (unseen because of storefront hides the roof style).
Acres: N/A
Operated: 1965 to 2005
Reason for Closure: N/A
Wanted: Information regarding actual open and closure, photos of the rink itself.
Sources:
inter credit report.
YouTube.
Bizapedia.
Loopnet.
email - 25 October 2021.
Date of Issue: Spring 2019. Update: 25 October 2021.
For Office Only: 1/1
© Dead Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3, 16
Rollerdrome 1855 Cassat Avenue, Jacksonville, FL
Gateway was properly named for this area because Jacksonville, FL is a gateway town near the border with Georgia. There are many Gateway businesses and areas named with Gateway. Of course, we know about the computer company too. Anyway, Gateway ran from 1965 to 2005. It ran a good 40 years. It is sad it would celebrate 40th anniversary at the end of its life. Missing out even 50th. Well, Gateway ran as a rink for 40 years serving in Jacksonville area for all ages. It was opened by a couple named Henry and Merlene Haffke.
There is no photos available when it was in operations. Only left is a YouTube video which is shown above. The video shows it was in black and white which is not normal for 2000s. It was not shaky like a person would do. Likely that was a security video mounted on a corner.
It showed it had that starburst light with diamond ball in center of the rink ceiling. One of those rinks with very common lighting and ball set up.
I cannot tell what the floor was. The video apparently showed as a security camera-like that is normally bit grainy. However, I can see quite a bit of skaters go by as the background was well lit which may have been a snack bar and skate rental area. Again, all grainy and only disco lights on. They did have though ceiling tube lights, likely colored and globe lights pendents as well. Apparently it was set up in the 1960s because those were common materials set up at the time.
The fate of the building is unknown because now its a small shopping plaza on the corner.
This is all I can find about the rink. Color pictures would be appreciated. Both interior and exterior.
UPDATE! --
I just received an email as it popped up in my gmail from a skater who was there. This is what he has to say--
So, I have some info about this location.
I went to a school pretty close by in the 90's and we would walk there after school sometimes. Sometimes specifically as a school function and sometimes the kids would just go.
I don't have any photos or videos. I wish I did, but I can tell you what the inside was like and the placement of things.
I think the only place in the entire building that had carpet was the small entrance room where the ticket window was, and the DJ booth.
The video you have on the page is from the DJ booth and what you suspect is the concession stand is indeed that, however, the rentals were actually to the right of that in what would be the opposite corner from this camera angle. It's hard to tell just how far back that corner goes on the right of the concessions, but it's actually another seating area and the rentals are on what is on the right wall from this perspective. In front of the concessions was a seating area. After the rentals was all that arcade games, followed by the bathrooms and then nothing after that. there was a painting of some cats on the wall just past the bathrooms if I remember right and the rink itself just backed up to the wall. The DJ booth sat at an angle against the back wall and what is the left wall in the perspective in the video and was an enclosed room.
On the website it says the building was cinderblock, but some of the walls were just sheet steel. Specifically the one just out of frame on the left. I remember because it was worn away a bit at the bottom and let light through. Along that side of the rink there were also wood benches between angled support beams with no lights. The entrance to the building is on the left side of the video, to the left of concessions.
If there are any other details you might want to know or if I find pictures I'll let you know.
Awesome and I cannot wait to see the photos if you can find them!
Anyone else?
Interior:
See the email I pasted above. All is there.
Exterior:
I do nto know what the exterior was like. It was total renovated. Thanks to the photo.
Rink Size: N/A Floor: N/A Floor Layout: N/A
Building Size: 34,700 SF.
Building Size: N/A Built: N/A Renovations: N/A. Demolished: Still standing, now plaza.
Type of Building: Free Span Cinderblock Building.
Roof: Gable (unseen because of storefront hides the roof style).
Acres: N/A
Operated: 1965 to 2005
Reason for Closure: N/A
Wanted: Information regarding actual open and closure, photos of the rink itself.
Sources:
inter credit report.
YouTube.
Bizapedia.
Loopnet.
email - 25 October 2021.
Date of Issue: Spring 2019. Update: 25 October 2021.
For Office Only: 1/1
© Dead Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3, 16