Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. Logo clip from an advertisement. Source: The Morning Call.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. A photographer took a beautiful scene in 1950. A rare sight to see in color for that year. Sure does look a little a lot like San Francisco, California but it was not. It was Allentown, PA. Mealey's was on the left side right by the Trolley. You can tell the billboard on the wall was exact the same as the one shown in next photo. See next photo. Source: Wikipedia.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. Likely the staff are shown in this photograph in 1954. You even can see one kind of store that almost does not exist anymore-- the radio repair shop. There is one in Syracuse, NY which is the largest radio repair service that they get repairs for clients from all over country and even world. Why? Stores like this one in the photo are gone. And where are Radio Shack stores? Gone.. almost. Source: Wikipedia.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. I am not sure if this was the first before the next postcard or after because of the ceiling was added as seen in this photo with 2 huge vents for heating. Likely maybe this was AFTER the open ceiling seen in next photo. Noticed quite a bit of crystal chandeliers hanging. Mirror Ball is seen in this photo. Mirror balls were invented in around 1907. Halls and rinks started having them in 1910. Source: Susan Miller Collection.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. My! Look how the floor was lay down! Diagonal which I am sure most rinks ever since learned it is best to lay the same as the path of roller skates go. This one it would have made quite a bit of noise to skate! You can see the piano or organ in the background on the Band stand shell. I feel it does look church-y interior. Must be this was one of many renovations Professor Mealey had upgraded. No mirror ball yet. No covered ceiling. This might have been one of the first taken. Source: Wikipedia.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. The Professor himself dressed in Bowtie and dinner jacket for this photo session. This is what he wore often during dance sessions. Professor William J. Mealey. Source: Wikipedia.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. Finally the roller rink opened on Thursday, 18 July 1940. Source: The Morning Call - 13 July 1940.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. Source: The Morning Call - 13 July 1940
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. Source: The Morning Call - 31 August 1940.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. 1941 Decoration Day Parade program for Mealey's Rink. Decoration Day was predecessor to Memorial Day. Source: Wikipedia.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. Source: The Morning Call - 21 March 1942.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. 1942 program. Source: Wikipedia.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. To celebrate New Year's 1946. The first year without the World War. Source: The Morning Call - 31 December 1945.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. Source: The Morning Call - 21 March 1946.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. Source: The Morning Call - 31 May 1946.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. 1947 decal. Source: Wikipedia.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. A 1948 flyer. Source: Wikipedia.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. 1948 Decal. Source: Wikipedia.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. Post-War era 1948 program. Still patriotic! Source: Wikipedia.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. 1949. Source: Wikipedia.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. 1949. Source: Wikipedia.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. Source: The Morning Call - 05 November 1951.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. Closing. Did not say why they sold to the clothing company. Source: The Morning Call - 24 June 1954.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. Appeared to be early 1940s advertisement. Source: Wikipedia.
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA. Source: Wikipedia.
Mealey's Auditorium 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton St., Allentown, PA
Mealey's Roller RInk 423 - 427 Hamilton Street, Allentown, Pennsylvania is where now the city hall, park, and parking garage is located. More so right between the city hall and the 8 story parking garage where you can park free according to the sign on Google Map.
But before that, in 1910, Professor William J. Mealey opened his auditorium at 423-27 Hamilton Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania as a dance hall. It was where the big-name bands came to play: Paul Whitman's Orchestra, Benny Kruger Band, and Glen Gray's Casa Loma Orchestra (never heard of any of them). But by 1940, just the start of World War Two in Europe and Pacific theaters, it was converted to a roller skating rink. But apparently the rink closed in 1954.
Then from 1954 to 1961, the former rink became a sweatshop operated by the Cata Garment Company. and then it was torn down right after that to make room for the new modern of its time, city hall and 8 story parking garage with a bridge connecting.
The company that makes clothing is still in business today but relocated though. Almost shut down in 1988 but it was saved by an investor and the company has sold again years later. I see they made women fashions, t-shirts, common clothing.
According to USGS maps, the exact location was where the park and the police department which is immediately next to the city hall. They did demolish it in 1962 according to the aerial photo taken in 1962 along with other buildings on that specific block. It was designed to be city government section. They have 3 blocks full of court houses to the west of the current city hall where it is right by the former rink. Most cities have court houses, city hall, and police station within a block of each other. Some vary different though.
The 47th President of the United States William Taft dined at the Mealey's Auditorium.
The roller rink was operated by G.M.S., Inc.
Back story --
Professor William J. Mealey was born in 1868. He learned how to dance growing up in Allentown. In 1890, William began to host dances and dance lessons in the Old Allentown Central Market Hall (now Miller Sympathy Hall). Later he taught dancing on the street floor of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Station, then known as the Lehigh Valley Hall.
Professor Mealey was known as the "Dancing Master", He opened his purpose-built auditorium on Wednesday, 07 September 1910, which was built for dances and indoor band concerts with 15,000 square feet of dance floor space. Over the years, it played host to Former President Robert Taft, who addressed a group of Masons there.
In the 1920s, large touring Big Bands began to perform to Mealey's. Mealey's was one of three Big Band halls in Allentown, the others being the Empire and the Frolic Ballrooms. This was where you could hear Ray Anthony's Orchestra, the Dorsey Brothers or any one of a number of the Big Bands that traveled the eastern Pennsylvania circuit. Besides the big bands, Mealey's was famous for its indoor décor, which was renovated annually. It was a popular place for high school and college proms, group dinners and meetings.
In April 1927, Professor Mealey's passed away and his son, William F. Mealey, took over and operated the facility until 1940 when the Mealey family sold the property to GMS Enterprises. William F. Mealey died in February 1981.
From 1941 though 1954, Mealey's was known locally as Mealey's Roller Rink when the auditorium had been converted into a roller skating rink. Mealey's closed in 1954 and was sold to the Cata Garment Company in 1954. Used as warehouse space until 1961 when it was torn down as part of an urban renewal project. Today, the Allentown City Hall and the police department stands on its location
Anyway, there are the stats about the rink.
The Interior.
It was a two-story ballroom with possible Maple wood floor that was not painted. It had balcony all around for patrons to watch ballroom dancing or later, roller skating as well as other sporting events they may have had at the site.
They were quite modern for its time in 1910s with neat exposed Steel Trusses supporting Gabled roof. They had at one end, the band shell shaped as a shell for the big band playing for the dancers. Maybe they had bands too for roller skating but not sure. Likely organ which was used.
The floor was not like any other rinks. It was lay down diagonally! That was not easy to skate because of the noise with metal wheels against diagonal wood!
The Exterior.
Since it is a two-story high, with Gabled Roof. Likely it was Brick building you could see on the outside. This is educated guess due to the period of 1900s and 1910s were commonly Red Bricks. What the style? I have no idea. It is not the same as it was with Palisades but could be though. Similar style. Palisades had Italian Revival style Brick building that is also 2 story high for the rink. Might be similar.
NOTE! I guessed pretty close to correct. It IS 2 story Brick buildings! Not one but TWO according to the photograph I found after I attempted to search for at least 2 hours. However, it was two different bricks. One was Dark Red and the other was perhaps Pink.
They had stylish for its day in early 1910s with the canopy however, after that, they had added a big sign saying SKATING vertically. It sits upon the little hill. Let not that photo fool you that it does look like San Francisco. It is just Allentown, Pennsylvania!
The Stats:
Rink Size: 15,000 SF. Floor: Plastic (type of Urethane) Maple. Floor Layout: Diagonal!
Building Size: N/A. Built: 1910. Renovations: 1940. Demolished: 1962 to make way for new city hall and courtyard.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Steel - Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gabled.
Acres: N/A.
Architect: N/A.
Contractor: N/A.
Interior Designer: N/A. Likely the owners did change the décor annually when commercial décor was not expensive back then! (today, most cannot afford to change within 7 years "rule" of change).
Organ: Hammond Organ (new installed for rink).
10 Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Duck Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Candlestick Bowling Lanes: None.
Pocket Billiard Tables: None.
Amusement Rides: None.
Driving Range Slots: None.
Miniature Golf Course: None.
Arcade: None.
Skee-Ball: None.
Fascination: None.
Restaurant: None.
Cocktail lounge: None.
Laser Tag: None.
Bounce Houses: None.
Bumper Cars: None.
Go-Kart: None.
Motel: None.
Swimming Pool: None.
Jungle Gym Playground: None.
Skate Park: None.
Operated: (Overall)-- 1910 to 1961 (building usage).
Mealey's Auditorium: 1910 to 1940.
Mealey's Roller RInk: Thursday, 18 July 1940 to Friday 25 June 1954.
Cata Garment Company: 1954 to 1961.
Reason for Closure: N/A.
Mealey's Auditorium: Decided to sell.
Mealey's Roller RInk: N/A.
Cata Garment Company: N/A.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also, photos/articles. Also send me any updates such as reopening, sold, name changes, or whatsoever occurred with this rink or any rinks. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation©. Before you email, please state this rink name AND THE CITY AND STATE (or COUNTRY) so I can know where or what rink you are talking about. Thank you. We welcome both active and defunct rinks.
Sources:
Facebook - Lehigh Valley Memories mentioned the rink.
Susan Miller - Website.
The Morning Call - Sunday, 21 November 1971, Page 73.
(All pictures and articles are connected to The Morning Call newspaper).
Date of issue: 02 October 2022.
USGS maps.
Wikipedia - Mealey's Auditorium and Roller Rink. 57 photographs and newspaper clippings! Wow!
For office use only: 25.
Worth to visit:
None. Demolished in 1962. Long ago!
DISCLAIMER:
International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© (formerly known as Dead-Rinks) and Mark Falso are not responsible for your physical and legal injuries you may have caused. We do not endorse such illegal activities including breaking and entry of former rinks, malls, abandoned buildings, etc. Please always obey laws and regulations and property owner's signs. Some states allow purple paint on fence which means they even have guns on their property and have rights to shoot you. Please DO NOT attempt to enter property without permission!
For abandoned rinks, after you receive permission, do WEAR safety OSHA equipment including a safety glasses, pair of safety gloves, an orange vest or a jacket, and a construction helmet.
Thank you for understanding.
Dead Rinks is now International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© because many former names have become new names at the same rinks that are still active and due to much confusion, We have decided that International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© fits better for all rinks including defunct, closed, inactive, rebooted, and rinks that are still active today. For short on this site, it is Rink History© Bear with us as we change the entire site page by page each day. Thank you for understanding.
Second of all: 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 different results between two (or more) 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.
Rinks that are closed are considered dead. Rinks that are/were sold and with new management names new name(s), the former are considered dead. Previous operating rink that closed but came back years later, are considered dead because the reopening is considered rebooted, nothing to do with the former. Since we are rebooted to allow alive rinks, active rinks, we welcome those active rinks as well. It will be described.
As for “For Office Only” is for my reasoning and private legal reason for that.
Any music associated with any YouTube or any other videos provided on International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© are not the property of International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group and/or International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© therefore we do not own the rights to the music.
All photos you submitted or we retrieved become property of International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© 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: Disclaimer.
© Copyrighted by International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation©, an International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 to 16. Deut. 32:7.
But before that, in 1910, Professor William J. Mealey opened his auditorium at 423-27 Hamilton Street in Allentown, Pennsylvania as a dance hall. It was where the big-name bands came to play: Paul Whitman's Orchestra, Benny Kruger Band, and Glen Gray's Casa Loma Orchestra (never heard of any of them). But by 1940, just the start of World War Two in Europe and Pacific theaters, it was converted to a roller skating rink. But apparently the rink closed in 1954.
Then from 1954 to 1961, the former rink became a sweatshop operated by the Cata Garment Company. and then it was torn down right after that to make room for the new modern of its time, city hall and 8 story parking garage with a bridge connecting.
The company that makes clothing is still in business today but relocated though. Almost shut down in 1988 but it was saved by an investor and the company has sold again years later. I see they made women fashions, t-shirts, common clothing.
According to USGS maps, the exact location was where the park and the police department which is immediately next to the city hall. They did demolish it in 1962 according to the aerial photo taken in 1962 along with other buildings on that specific block. It was designed to be city government section. They have 3 blocks full of court houses to the west of the current city hall where it is right by the former rink. Most cities have court houses, city hall, and police station within a block of each other. Some vary different though.
The 47th President of the United States William Taft dined at the Mealey's Auditorium.
The roller rink was operated by G.M.S., Inc.
Back story --
Professor William J. Mealey was born in 1868. He learned how to dance growing up in Allentown. In 1890, William began to host dances and dance lessons in the Old Allentown Central Market Hall (now Miller Sympathy Hall). Later he taught dancing on the street floor of the Lehigh Valley Railroad Station, then known as the Lehigh Valley Hall.
Professor Mealey was known as the "Dancing Master", He opened his purpose-built auditorium on Wednesday, 07 September 1910, which was built for dances and indoor band concerts with 15,000 square feet of dance floor space. Over the years, it played host to Former President Robert Taft, who addressed a group of Masons there.
In the 1920s, large touring Big Bands began to perform to Mealey's. Mealey's was one of three Big Band halls in Allentown, the others being the Empire and the Frolic Ballrooms. This was where you could hear Ray Anthony's Orchestra, the Dorsey Brothers or any one of a number of the Big Bands that traveled the eastern Pennsylvania circuit. Besides the big bands, Mealey's was famous for its indoor décor, which was renovated annually. It was a popular place for high school and college proms, group dinners and meetings.
In April 1927, Professor Mealey's passed away and his son, William F. Mealey, took over and operated the facility until 1940 when the Mealey family sold the property to GMS Enterprises. William F. Mealey died in February 1981.
From 1941 though 1954, Mealey's was known locally as Mealey's Roller Rink when the auditorium had been converted into a roller skating rink. Mealey's closed in 1954 and was sold to the Cata Garment Company in 1954. Used as warehouse space until 1961 when it was torn down as part of an urban renewal project. Today, the Allentown City Hall and the police department stands on its location
Anyway, there are the stats about the rink.
The Interior.
It was a two-story ballroom with possible Maple wood floor that was not painted. It had balcony all around for patrons to watch ballroom dancing or later, roller skating as well as other sporting events they may have had at the site.
They were quite modern for its time in 1910s with neat exposed Steel Trusses supporting Gabled roof. They had at one end, the band shell shaped as a shell for the big band playing for the dancers. Maybe they had bands too for roller skating but not sure. Likely organ which was used.
The floor was not like any other rinks. It was lay down diagonally! That was not easy to skate because of the noise with metal wheels against diagonal wood!
The Exterior.
Since it is a two-story high, with Gabled Roof. Likely it was Brick building you could see on the outside. This is educated guess due to the period of 1900s and 1910s were commonly Red Bricks. What the style? I have no idea. It is not the same as it was with Palisades but could be though. Similar style. Palisades had Italian Revival style Brick building that is also 2 story high for the rink. Might be similar.
NOTE! I guessed pretty close to correct. It IS 2 story Brick buildings! Not one but TWO according to the photograph I found after I attempted to search for at least 2 hours. However, it was two different bricks. One was Dark Red and the other was perhaps Pink.
They had stylish for its day in early 1910s with the canopy however, after that, they had added a big sign saying SKATING vertically. It sits upon the little hill. Let not that photo fool you that it does look like San Francisco. It is just Allentown, Pennsylvania!
The Stats:
Rink Size: 15,000 SF. Floor: Plastic (type of Urethane) Maple. Floor Layout: Diagonal!
Building Size: N/A. Built: 1910. Renovations: 1940. Demolished: 1962 to make way for new city hall and courtyard.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Steel - Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gabled.
Acres: N/A.
Architect: N/A.
Contractor: N/A.
Interior Designer: N/A. Likely the owners did change the décor annually when commercial décor was not expensive back then! (today, most cannot afford to change within 7 years "rule" of change).
Organ: Hammond Organ (new installed for rink).
10 Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Duck Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Candlestick Bowling Lanes: None.
Pocket Billiard Tables: None.
Amusement Rides: None.
Driving Range Slots: None.
Miniature Golf Course: None.
Arcade: None.
Skee-Ball: None.
Fascination: None.
Restaurant: None.
Cocktail lounge: None.
Laser Tag: None.
Bounce Houses: None.
Bumper Cars: None.
Go-Kart: None.
Motel: None.
Swimming Pool: None.
Jungle Gym Playground: None.
Skate Park: None.
Operated: (Overall)-- 1910 to 1961 (building usage).
Mealey's Auditorium: 1910 to 1940.
Mealey's Roller RInk: Thursday, 18 July 1940 to Friday 25 June 1954.
Cata Garment Company: 1954 to 1961.
Reason for Closure: N/A.
Mealey's Auditorium: Decided to sell.
Mealey's Roller RInk: N/A.
Cata Garment Company: N/A.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also, photos/articles. Also send me any updates such as reopening, sold, name changes, or whatsoever occurred with this rink or any rinks. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation©. Before you email, please state this rink name AND THE CITY AND STATE (or COUNTRY) so I can know where or what rink you are talking about. Thank you. We welcome both active and defunct rinks.
Sources:
Facebook - Lehigh Valley Memories mentioned the rink.
Susan Miller - Website.
The Morning Call - Sunday, 21 November 1971, Page 73.
(All pictures and articles are connected to The Morning Call newspaper).
Date of issue: 02 October 2022.
USGS maps.
Wikipedia - Mealey's Auditorium and Roller Rink. 57 photographs and newspaper clippings! Wow!
For office use only: 25.
Worth to visit:
None. Demolished in 1962. Long ago!
DISCLAIMER:
International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© (formerly known as Dead-Rinks) and Mark Falso are not responsible for your physical and legal injuries you may have caused. We do not endorse such illegal activities including breaking and entry of former rinks, malls, abandoned buildings, etc. Please always obey laws and regulations and property owner's signs. Some states allow purple paint on fence which means they even have guns on their property and have rights to shoot you. Please DO NOT attempt to enter property without permission!
For abandoned rinks, after you receive permission, do WEAR safety OSHA equipment including a safety glasses, pair of safety gloves, an orange vest or a jacket, and a construction helmet.
Thank you for understanding.
Dead Rinks is now International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© because many former names have become new names at the same rinks that are still active and due to much confusion, We have decided that International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© fits better for all rinks including defunct, closed, inactive, rebooted, and rinks that are still active today. For short on this site, it is Rink History© Bear with us as we change the entire site page by page each day. Thank you for understanding.
Second of all: 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 different results between two (or more) 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.
Rinks that are closed are considered dead. Rinks that are/were sold and with new management names new name(s), the former are considered dead. Previous operating rink that closed but came back years later, are considered dead because the reopening is considered rebooted, nothing to do with the former. Since we are rebooted to allow alive rinks, active rinks, we welcome those active rinks as well. It will be described.
As for “For Office Only” is for my reasoning and private legal reason for that.
Any music associated with any YouTube or any other videos provided on International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© are not the property of International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group and/or International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© therefore we do not own the rights to the music.
All photos you submitted or we retrieved become property of International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© 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: Disclaimer.
© Copyrighted by International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation©, an International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 to 16. Deut. 32:7.