Courtesy of a private owner, postcard. See photo below for about same position where the original was taken at. Below photo courtesy of GM.
Hotel Albert Roller Rink Hotel Albert, Broad Street and Dallas Ave, Selma, AL
Hotel Albert Roller Rink was part of Hotel Albert in Selma, Alabama. This much storied hotel had a rink. Back when roller skating, the Roller Skating was born because of James Plimpton who invented the modern Quads we all roller skated ever since and he also invented a roller rink in New York City, the once home of Roller Skating Rinks Capital of the world. His invention to establish a rink was in a hotel in that city. Well, Hotel Albert in Selma began similar trend.
First the hotel was started to built in 1860 but was suspended in 1861 due to the American Civil War Then they revitalize the construction in 1867 completing the first two floors and the roof then finish it. The roller rink occupied part of second floor that year. It did not say when they stopped having a roller rink. Anyway, in 1868, due to some finanical hardship, Selma council passed resolution to ease burden by paying half of the taxes. But in June 10,1891 (Bizapedia), the Hotel Albert Company was established to assume ownership of the hotel. The council went further to exempted the hotel from paying any taxes in order ease burden on expenses to complete the hotel.
One can guess that the rink was opened in 1867 even while they were finishing construction of the hotel. It was likely they completed by 1892.
Slightly over a hundred years after they completed first two floors, in 1969 while Hippies protests, men on the moon, the hotel met its fate being demolished after the effort to raise money to save the hotel failed. Now sits a two story library, a community center, and of course, the city hall. All three retains antique-look yet, they all are brand new in 1970s. It does not give any dated look at all. It looked as if it was there hundred years already.
The Interior.
Unknown. Likely Maple floor. Part of the second floor. Any other information is lost and unknown.
The Exterior.
The hotel was very unique in design and had Venetian Gothic style. After all, it was Italian style. That hotel was modeled after the famous Palace of the Doges in Venezia, Italia. That palace is a museum so you can visit and can give you the idea of what it was like. It had Strong-Red Bricks bricks against White pillars. Only four of the six pillars are spared. To see them, go visit the Vaughan-Smitherman Museum. Very informative museum that once was a university by the masons followed by a hospital for the Confiderates and then hospital for others but closed then became courthouse and some others. The pillars were, to Selma residents, a symbol of the town that they needed strength as they faced two huridles: the Civil War that left over 600 buildings burned or damaged followed by the Civil Rights Movements a hundred years later.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Likely Maple. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: N/A. Demolished: 1969 to make way for city government buildings.
Type of Building: Multi-storied Brick and Wood Hotel Building. Rink was on second floor.
Roof: Flat.
Acres: N/A. Whole city block.
Operated: N/A.
Reason for Closure: Owners said too expensive to keep up maintenance and repairs were needed.
Wanted: Information regarding photos of interior if any especially rink (which is most likely impossible), exact dates of open and closed and why closed for good for the rink business.
Anyone has pictures and/or information please let me know at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources: Palace of the Doges, Bizapedia, Pinterest, Selma Times-Journal, Vaughan-Smitherman Museum,
IMDb-The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Alabama Mosaic,
© 2019-2020 Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. God Matters. Ps 86:10.
First the hotel was started to built in 1860 but was suspended in 1861 due to the American Civil War Then they revitalize the construction in 1867 completing the first two floors and the roof then finish it. The roller rink occupied part of second floor that year. It did not say when they stopped having a roller rink. Anyway, in 1868, due to some finanical hardship, Selma council passed resolution to ease burden by paying half of the taxes. But in June 10,1891 (Bizapedia), the Hotel Albert Company was established to assume ownership of the hotel. The council went further to exempted the hotel from paying any taxes in order ease burden on expenses to complete the hotel.
One can guess that the rink was opened in 1867 even while they were finishing construction of the hotel. It was likely they completed by 1892.
Slightly over a hundred years after they completed first two floors, in 1969 while Hippies protests, men on the moon, the hotel met its fate being demolished after the effort to raise money to save the hotel failed. Now sits a two story library, a community center, and of course, the city hall. All three retains antique-look yet, they all are brand new in 1970s. It does not give any dated look at all. It looked as if it was there hundred years already.
The Interior.
Unknown. Likely Maple floor. Part of the second floor. Any other information is lost and unknown.
The Exterior.
The hotel was very unique in design and had Venetian Gothic style. After all, it was Italian style. That hotel was modeled after the famous Palace of the Doges in Venezia, Italia. That palace is a museum so you can visit and can give you the idea of what it was like. It had Strong-Red Bricks bricks against White pillars. Only four of the six pillars are spared. To see them, go visit the Vaughan-Smitherman Museum. Very informative museum that once was a university by the masons followed by a hospital for the Confiderates and then hospital for others but closed then became courthouse and some others. The pillars were, to Selma residents, a symbol of the town that they needed strength as they faced two huridles: the Civil War that left over 600 buildings burned or damaged followed by the Civil Rights Movements a hundred years later.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Likely Maple. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: N/A. Demolished: 1969 to make way for city government buildings.
Type of Building: Multi-storied Brick and Wood Hotel Building. Rink was on second floor.
Roof: Flat.
Acres: N/A. Whole city block.
Operated: N/A.
Reason for Closure: Owners said too expensive to keep up maintenance and repairs were needed.
Wanted: Information regarding photos of interior if any especially rink (which is most likely impossible), exact dates of open and closed and why closed for good for the rink business.
Anyone has pictures and/or information please let me know at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources: Palace of the Doges, Bizapedia, Pinterest, Selma Times-Journal, Vaughan-Smitherman Museum,
IMDb-The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, Alabama Mosaic,
© 2019-2020 Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. God Matters. Ps 86:10.