Ing Skating Palace 115 North Second Street, Rockford, Illinois. Patch. It said it was under Fox Enterprise. Was it another owner? Now I am seeing FOUR different ownerships of this place. Source: eBay.
Ing Skating Palace 115 North Second Street, Rockford, Illinois. What a beautiful interior! Top is the photographer took of the front end, bottom is toward back end of the rink. Postcard courtesy of Jim Van Orsdol.
Ing Skating Palace 115 North Second Street, Rockford, Illinois. Both parts, Rockford Register Star, February 23, 1986. Source: Rockford Public Library. Copyrighted Digitally Remastered by Dead-Rinks.
Ing Skating Palace 115 North Second Street, Rockford, Illinois. The ad appeared to be 1960s. The look of it plus the skater. Source: Pinterest.
Ing Skating Palace 115 North Second Street, Rockford, Illinois. This was in 2012. Sadly, it is a parking lot. This is the 2nd rink in the city that was torn town and became parking lot in a week for me to work on. Oh the pains, the pains.. OK, that line I took was from Dr. Smith on LIS TOS. Haha. Source: Google.
Ing Skating Palace 115 North Second Street, Rockford, Illinois
Ing Skating Palace was once called, Inglaterra Dancing Hall. Many had thought the Ing really meant the Inglaterra according to an article. It was not so because Ing was partially named after the former dance hall but it was really an entirely different business. It was a roller rink for nearly a century. One of the longest ever.
The name, Inglaterra is a Spanish word meaning, "England." Terra clearly means earth or land. Ing and Eng spells almost the same and sounds similar. Hablas espanol, no?
In 1935 the Inglaterra Dance Hall became the Inglaterra Ballroom. But in 1939, it became Ing Skating Palace. It was found in 1939 telephone directory as well as 1940 directory for Ing Skating Palace. Source: Jim Van Orsdol and an article.
Dancing halls peaked around the time Inglaterra was opened for business. 1929 Wall Street Crash ended that era. And a few hanged on like this place. The evident this made successfully through the Great Depression and Second World War and recessions and wars.
From Jim Van Orsdol --
Doddie Gilbertson, owner of the Lighthouse Restaurant and Lounge, said that the Ing was always closed on Mondays, but open the remaining six days of the week. She also said that in the 1940s, there were about 150 teenagers who came regularly to the Ing and they all knew each other. They'd skate from 7 to 10 p.m., and then go to a soda bar and drink Green Rivers and cherry Cokes. In October of 1993, Doddie Gilbertson organized a reunion at the Ing for people who were regulars between 1947 and 1952. About 50 people attended. Aww, that gotta be tough not everyone was able to attend. As you get older, we all know where we are heading.
When David Machek bought the Ing in 1960, he found photographs of the Ing marquee naming Lawrence Welk, Jimmy Dorsey and other big name bands. Machek said "Back in the '60s, the boys came dressed in black pants, a white shirt and tie, and the girls all wore dresses. There was an organ player, and over the years we'd have dance competitions and skating competitions."
From 1987 to 1993, the Ing was open for private functions. Beginning in October 1993, it was to go to being open on the weekends. In 1993, Charles Rankin bought the Ing from David and Katherine Machek, who had owned it for over 30 years.
In recent years the Ing was open for special events. Charles Rankin lost the Ing through a bank foreclosure about two years ago (in 2017).. Fran Kral Lincoln Mercury Volvo bought the property and will use it as a lot for new and used cars. The building was in bad shape and was reportedly beyond repair.
Note-- I checked the car dealership on Google Map and it showed that it is folded and gone.
Ing was operated by Darwin and Doris Udesen, whom they were related to Jim Van Orsdol, the same his parents owned the Van's rink in Beatrice, Nebraska. There are several rinks owned by the same family through brothers, cousins, uncles and it will not be surprised for me to hear from him more rinks he will find as he research for himself and for me. More pictures of this rink, Ing Skating Palace will be added this coming spring 2021 so watch for them when he gets back to his home state from being snowbirding somewhere in sunny Florida. So stay tuned! (I never got any photos -- 16 May 2022).
Another of Jim's family owned the Curling Club
Also Otto Fuchs who also owned the Ing Skating Palace was related to Jim as well. Small world! Awesome Jim! Hey, my genealogy goes back to 300 AD so I know how you feel, man!
Woo!
UPDATE! -- (16 May 2022)
I received an email which is quite a long one explaining about this very rink. Let's read this.
My name is Brian Sandeen. I can give you just a little bit more about the Ing from what I can remember. I grew up in that skating rink as Dave and Katherine Macheck were my God Parents. My Parents, Ed and Carol Sandeen helped them run that skating rink for many many years.
I can remember that there were actually two skating rinks in the building. There was the main floor. Then there was a smaller rink that was in the back of the building. The music was provided by a Juke Box that was in the corner of the smaller rink.
The Macheks eventually removed that rink and turned it into a dance floor in the [19]80s. I can't remember when but I do remember it had a really nice dance floor, strobe lights, the whole nine yards...
My brother Mark skated there about as much as I did. He won competitions in the state of Illinois as a teenager. I'm not making any promises but I will try to see if I can find some old pictures from the rink's past.
The Ing was truly a remarkable place that has a long history and many fond memories from my childhood.
Wow, now I know that there are two rinks! Wow, I had no idea it was two at one time. So, was it one just for skating and the other dancing? Hey, thanks, Brian!
The Interior.
It had beautiful Maple floor and was rather full floor of the building wall to wall. It even had balcony which made look like a theater or a church balcony due to the fact it was mostly on one end as seen in the postcard. The other end were two smaller ones by the corners.
It was beautiful and grandeur in design. The postcard showed how beautiful it was. It was a Peak Art Deco interior design as you can see. I am sure that was renovated version you saw in the postcard with that Art Deco because if they built it in 1918, that was about to end the Art Nouveau and the Craftsman/Frank Lloyd Wright-style and go into Art Deco Era. Must have designed by 1915 before construction and town approval which took time.
The Exterior.
N/A. To be Continued this Spring 2021! A photo will be send to me! Hopefully! Oddly, I do not find any pictures of the exterior online!
The Stats:
Larger/main Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Maple. Floor Layout: LOG.
Smaller Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Maple. Floor Layout: N/A. (removed as rink, became dance floor).
Building Size: N/A. Built: 1918.
Demolished: 2000s. Now a parking lot. Will be car dealership. Unrepairable due bad shape beyond repairing. Had to remove piece by piece due to danger before demolition.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss Steel-Walled Warehouse - like Building. 2 stories.
Roof: Gable.
Acres: N/A.
Operated: 1918 to 2000s.
Inglaterra Dance Hall: 1918 to 1939
Ing Skating Palace: 1939 to 2000s.
Reason for Closure:
Inglaterra Dance Hall: Sold.
Ing Skating Palace: Bank forclosure.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also photos. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources:
Rockford Public Library - Ing Skating Palace
Geocaching - Ing Skating Palace
Jim Van Orsdol
Rockford Register Star - February 23, 1986
Email - Brian Sandeen (16 May 2022).
Pinterest.
Worth to visit:
None. It is a parking lot now. Nothing to see.
Date of issue: 25 January 2021.
Updated: 14 September 2021.
Updated: 16 May 2022.
For Office Only: 6.
Disclaimer: 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 differences result between two 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.
All photos you submitted or we retrieved becomes property of Dead-Rinks 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: Dead-Rinks List.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:16.
The name, Inglaterra is a Spanish word meaning, "England." Terra clearly means earth or land. Ing and Eng spells almost the same and sounds similar. Hablas espanol, no?
In 1935 the Inglaterra Dance Hall became the Inglaterra Ballroom. But in 1939, it became Ing Skating Palace. It was found in 1939 telephone directory as well as 1940 directory for Ing Skating Palace. Source: Jim Van Orsdol and an article.
Dancing halls peaked around the time Inglaterra was opened for business. 1929 Wall Street Crash ended that era. And a few hanged on like this place. The evident this made successfully through the Great Depression and Second World War and recessions and wars.
From Jim Van Orsdol --
Doddie Gilbertson, owner of the Lighthouse Restaurant and Lounge, said that the Ing was always closed on Mondays, but open the remaining six days of the week. She also said that in the 1940s, there were about 150 teenagers who came regularly to the Ing and they all knew each other. They'd skate from 7 to 10 p.m., and then go to a soda bar and drink Green Rivers and cherry Cokes. In October of 1993, Doddie Gilbertson organized a reunion at the Ing for people who were regulars between 1947 and 1952. About 50 people attended. Aww, that gotta be tough not everyone was able to attend. As you get older, we all know where we are heading.
When David Machek bought the Ing in 1960, he found photographs of the Ing marquee naming Lawrence Welk, Jimmy Dorsey and other big name bands. Machek said "Back in the '60s, the boys came dressed in black pants, a white shirt and tie, and the girls all wore dresses. There was an organ player, and over the years we'd have dance competitions and skating competitions."
From 1987 to 1993, the Ing was open for private functions. Beginning in October 1993, it was to go to being open on the weekends. In 1993, Charles Rankin bought the Ing from David and Katherine Machek, who had owned it for over 30 years.
In recent years the Ing was open for special events. Charles Rankin lost the Ing through a bank foreclosure about two years ago (in 2017).. Fran Kral Lincoln Mercury Volvo bought the property and will use it as a lot for new and used cars. The building was in bad shape and was reportedly beyond repair.
Note-- I checked the car dealership on Google Map and it showed that it is folded and gone.
Ing was operated by Darwin and Doris Udesen, whom they were related to Jim Van Orsdol, the same his parents owned the Van's rink in Beatrice, Nebraska. There are several rinks owned by the same family through brothers, cousins, uncles and it will not be surprised for me to hear from him more rinks he will find as he research for himself and for me. More pictures of this rink, Ing Skating Palace will be added this coming spring 2021 so watch for them when he gets back to his home state from being snowbirding somewhere in sunny Florida. So stay tuned! (I never got any photos -- 16 May 2022).
Another of Jim's family owned the Curling Club
Also Otto Fuchs who also owned the Ing Skating Palace was related to Jim as well. Small world! Awesome Jim! Hey, my genealogy goes back to 300 AD so I know how you feel, man!
Woo!
UPDATE! -- (16 May 2022)
I received an email which is quite a long one explaining about this very rink. Let's read this.
My name is Brian Sandeen. I can give you just a little bit more about the Ing from what I can remember. I grew up in that skating rink as Dave and Katherine Macheck were my God Parents. My Parents, Ed and Carol Sandeen helped them run that skating rink for many many years.
I can remember that there were actually two skating rinks in the building. There was the main floor. Then there was a smaller rink that was in the back of the building. The music was provided by a Juke Box that was in the corner of the smaller rink.
The Macheks eventually removed that rink and turned it into a dance floor in the [19]80s. I can't remember when but I do remember it had a really nice dance floor, strobe lights, the whole nine yards...
My brother Mark skated there about as much as I did. He won competitions in the state of Illinois as a teenager. I'm not making any promises but I will try to see if I can find some old pictures from the rink's past.
The Ing was truly a remarkable place that has a long history and many fond memories from my childhood.
Wow, now I know that there are two rinks! Wow, I had no idea it was two at one time. So, was it one just for skating and the other dancing? Hey, thanks, Brian!
The Interior.
It had beautiful Maple floor and was rather full floor of the building wall to wall. It even had balcony which made look like a theater or a church balcony due to the fact it was mostly on one end as seen in the postcard. The other end were two smaller ones by the corners.
It was beautiful and grandeur in design. The postcard showed how beautiful it was. It was a Peak Art Deco interior design as you can see. I am sure that was renovated version you saw in the postcard with that Art Deco because if they built it in 1918, that was about to end the Art Nouveau and the Craftsman/Frank Lloyd Wright-style and go into Art Deco Era. Must have designed by 1915 before construction and town approval which took time.
The Exterior.
N/A. To be Continued this Spring 2021! A photo will be send to me! Hopefully! Oddly, I do not find any pictures of the exterior online!
The Stats:
Larger/main Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Maple. Floor Layout: LOG.
Smaller Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Maple. Floor Layout: N/A. (removed as rink, became dance floor).
Building Size: N/A. Built: 1918.
Demolished: 2000s. Now a parking lot. Will be car dealership. Unrepairable due bad shape beyond repairing. Had to remove piece by piece due to danger before demolition.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss Steel-Walled Warehouse - like Building. 2 stories.
Roof: Gable.
Acres: N/A.
Operated: 1918 to 2000s.
Inglaterra Dance Hall: 1918 to 1939
Ing Skating Palace: 1939 to 2000s.
Reason for Closure:
Inglaterra Dance Hall: Sold.
Ing Skating Palace: Bank forclosure.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also photos. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources:
Rockford Public Library - Ing Skating Palace
Geocaching - Ing Skating Palace
Jim Van Orsdol
Rockford Register Star - February 23, 1986
Email - Brian Sandeen (16 May 2022).
Pinterest.
Worth to visit:
None. It is a parking lot now. Nothing to see.
Date of issue: 25 January 2021.
Updated: 14 September 2021.
Updated: 16 May 2022.
For Office Only: 6.
Disclaimer: 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 differences result between two 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.
All photos you submitted or we retrieved becomes property of Dead-Rinks 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: Dead-Rinks List.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:16.