Taken 2011 and 2019. Pawn shop. That pawn shop is also closed for good. I do not know when they went out of business.
Fairbanks Daily News-Miner Saturday, 17 Sep 1966, Page 11.
Roller Garden 1402 Gillam Way, Fairbanks, AK
Roller Garden was once a rink on 1402 Gillam Way in Fairbanks, Alaska. It was on intersection of 14th and Gilliam Way.
This building was a hangar for the military in the 1950s According to Loop Net. The pawn shop, Two Dice Pawn has been operating at this location for over 20 years till It was listed in 2019.
I only received the closing date but not opening date thanks to D.M. who told me about it. D.M. told me this though--
Elkin J. Morris who founded and owned Central Supply 1950s to 1975. He built this D-Arched-Curved roof building for a 15 lane bowling alley. It was short lived because it was not enough business to make money so they turned into the roller rink. Short lived too and went out of business in 1970. Then they had a flood in 1967.
Then Morris opened Pizza Pub to give his daughter and his son-in-law something to do. They operated it from 1972 to 1985.
Then Jerry Claus (?) who owned Santa's Bakery bought the former rink to set up a Gymnastic outfit. Then the pawn shop in 1990.
The bowling alley was constructed by the partnership of Ron Twogood and Hubert Rumpf. They had a tussle with the City Council, originally wanting to build on the lot that currently contains Yukon Title (12th & Turner). Complaints from area residents forced them to look elsewhere and the City sold them the property behind the Meadowmoor restaurant (currently, the vacant lot between the pawnshop and Airport way). They opened as Alaskan Lanes in 1956. I cannot find anything on the closure of the establishment, which was going thru at least late 1964.
Elkin Morris started as an electrician, having canoed across the US and Canada from NYC with this wife in 1938. There is a fascinating story about all this, worth looking up. But, he took on more and more work, creating new businesses, and eventually went into partnership with Tex Blair to operate the very successful Central Supply (plumbing & mechanical). Blair is who Blair lake is name for. Blair's wife, Louise, was a niece of Walter Harper. This down in the weeds of Interior AK people history...
Because of the hanger was used by the military, this was likely relocated to this spot on Gilliam Way. It was build in 1957 (likely relocated hanger on the current location), this is likely when the rink first opened.
In July 1970 the rink closed (owners Jewel Jolley & Gerald Claus said it wasn't making overhead costs of $44,000/year; average income was $2400-$2500 per month; building became as warehouse).
More updated that it became a pawn shop. Now, that pawn shop is closed too. From what I read about the pawn shop, woo (shaking head that people said a lot of negative things).
I figured that was the place because of the unique building design. It was a D-Shaped or Segmental Arch building.
The Interior.
2355 SF in the basement. It has 10,823 SF floor space in the building. Enough room for a small to medium size rink. Rink floor may have been wood considering this is Alaska where coldness can crack concrete a lot sooner than you think.
The Exterior.
Deep D-shaped roof Segmental Arch building with the front facing Gilliam Way and the 14th Street was a bit far from the building compared to its position close to Airport Way. I do not know what the original color but with the pawn shop, Metallic Silver Gray (Non-sparkling).
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Likely wood. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: 10,823 SF. Built: 1957. Demolished: N/A.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss Steel and Cinderblock -Walled Hanger Building.
Roof: D - Roof. Segmental Arch.
Acres: 0.6612 Acres.
Lanes: 15 (only when it was Alaskan Lanes)
Type of Bowling: 10 Pins (only when it was Alaskan Lanes)
Operated: (Overall)-- N/A to July 1970.
Alaskan Lanes: 1957 to N/A.
Roller Garden: N/A. to July 1970.
Pizza Pub: 1975 to 1985.
a gym: 1985 to 1990.
II Dice Pawn Shop: 1990 to c. 2018.
Reason for Closure: Owners Jewel Jolley & Gerald Claus said it wasn't making overhead costs of $44,000/year; average income was $2400-$2500 per month; building is to be used as warehouse.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/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: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner - advertisement Saturday 17 September 1966, page 11; D. M. - email;
PDF - FNSB Details on 1402 Gilliam Way; PDF- FNSB History; Loop Net;
Date of issue: 16 February 2021. Updated: 17 February 2021.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:16.
This building was a hangar for the military in the 1950s According to Loop Net. The pawn shop, Two Dice Pawn has been operating at this location for over 20 years till It was listed in 2019.
I only received the closing date but not opening date thanks to D.M. who told me about it. D.M. told me this though--
Elkin J. Morris who founded and owned Central Supply 1950s to 1975. He built this D-Arched-Curved roof building for a 15 lane bowling alley. It was short lived because it was not enough business to make money so they turned into the roller rink. Short lived too and went out of business in 1970. Then they had a flood in 1967.
Then Morris opened Pizza Pub to give his daughter and his son-in-law something to do. They operated it from 1972 to 1985.
Then Jerry Claus (?) who owned Santa's Bakery bought the former rink to set up a Gymnastic outfit. Then the pawn shop in 1990.
The bowling alley was constructed by the partnership of Ron Twogood and Hubert Rumpf. They had a tussle with the City Council, originally wanting to build on the lot that currently contains Yukon Title (12th & Turner). Complaints from area residents forced them to look elsewhere and the City sold them the property behind the Meadowmoor restaurant (currently, the vacant lot between the pawnshop and Airport way). They opened as Alaskan Lanes in 1956. I cannot find anything on the closure of the establishment, which was going thru at least late 1964.
Elkin Morris started as an electrician, having canoed across the US and Canada from NYC with this wife in 1938. There is a fascinating story about all this, worth looking up. But, he took on more and more work, creating new businesses, and eventually went into partnership with Tex Blair to operate the very successful Central Supply (plumbing & mechanical). Blair is who Blair lake is name for. Blair's wife, Louise, was a niece of Walter Harper. This down in the weeds of Interior AK people history...
Because of the hanger was used by the military, this was likely relocated to this spot on Gilliam Way. It was build in 1957 (likely relocated hanger on the current location), this is likely when the rink first opened.
In July 1970 the rink closed (owners Jewel Jolley & Gerald Claus said it wasn't making overhead costs of $44,000/year; average income was $2400-$2500 per month; building became as warehouse).
More updated that it became a pawn shop. Now, that pawn shop is closed too. From what I read about the pawn shop, woo (shaking head that people said a lot of negative things).
I figured that was the place because of the unique building design. It was a D-Shaped or Segmental Arch building.
The Interior.
2355 SF in the basement. It has 10,823 SF floor space in the building. Enough room for a small to medium size rink. Rink floor may have been wood considering this is Alaska where coldness can crack concrete a lot sooner than you think.
The Exterior.
Deep D-shaped roof Segmental Arch building with the front facing Gilliam Way and the 14th Street was a bit far from the building compared to its position close to Airport Way. I do not know what the original color but with the pawn shop, Metallic Silver Gray (Non-sparkling).
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Likely wood. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: 10,823 SF. Built: 1957. Demolished: N/A.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss Steel and Cinderblock -Walled Hanger Building.
Roof: D - Roof. Segmental Arch.
Acres: 0.6612 Acres.
Lanes: 15 (only when it was Alaskan Lanes)
Type of Bowling: 10 Pins (only when it was Alaskan Lanes)
Operated: (Overall)-- N/A to July 1970.
Alaskan Lanes: 1957 to N/A.
Roller Garden: N/A. to July 1970.
Pizza Pub: 1975 to 1985.
a gym: 1985 to 1990.
II Dice Pawn Shop: 1990 to c. 2018.
Reason for Closure: Owners Jewel Jolley & Gerald Claus said it wasn't making overhead costs of $44,000/year; average income was $2400-$2500 per month; building is to be used as warehouse.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/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: Fairbanks Daily News-Miner - advertisement Saturday 17 September 1966, page 11; D. M. - email;
PDF - FNSB Details on 1402 Gilliam Way; PDF- FNSB History; Loop Net;
Date of issue: 16 February 2021. Updated: 17 February 2021.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:16.