Photo courtesy of Bob Holets/Skate Country of Cedar Rapids Facebook Fan page. Logo used under new management, Has nothing to do with Skate Country, Inc. of Tucson, AZ.
Photo courtesy of Bob Holets/Skate Country of Cedar Rapids Facebook Fan page.
Photo courtesy of Kristene Honzik/Skate Country of Cedar Rapids Facebook Fan page. Likely taken from a real estate listing. The design for this rink was a departure from the Wendell Lockhard's blueprints of the original rink.
Skate Country, 3233 6th Street, SW, Cedar Rapids, IA
This rink according to Robert Snellstrom, was one of the official Skate Country that was affiliated with the other Skate Country of Des Moines, Dubuque, and the original-Tucson, AZ and the NOLA and one brief one in WPB, Florida.
There are many Skate Country rinks even the copycats. This was official however, the architecture of this building differ than the Wendell Lockhard's copy of blueprints as seen in the Tucson's location and similar to the copycat Skate Country Rochester, MN.
I will find out more from Robert regarding this location that has long since demolished after it was up for sale. According to Dun and Bradstreet, It said it was opened in 2010!? Got to be an error. But this rink is gone for sure because Google Map showed it was demolished.
According to Skate Country of Ceder Rapids, Iowa fan group on Facebook, it was up for sale a few years ago. It was a Cinderblock built flat roof open span building. It had different blueprint design because the front entrance was on "side" front facing the road instead of the long side as seen in the Skate Country Rochester copycat location and the main Skate Country of Tucson rink.
Entirely different design. The exterior walls color was unknown because all I have seen is when it was up for sale in all White walls which is common when a business is out of business, they usually paint or remove their trademarked design. Kind of like what Pizza Hut did to their restaurants when they shut down, they remove that Pizza Hut Red Hut roof-line and replaced with standard Brown or off Red roof shingles after removing that hut look to become Gable or something else.
I believe that was the case with this rink when it was for sale, all removed by paint over.
The interior had that Ice-White rink. Likely concrete floor but I am not sure but concrete was common in then-new 1970s and 1980s rinks. The wall had wavy stripes with the name "Skate Country" on diagonal. It is similar idea as the current Skate Country, Inc. of Tucson, AZ would have but more modern. The photos you see on the group in Facebook is showing those taken in 1980s. Skate Country in those photos were of the same official Skate Country, Inc. owned before sold to the managers in Iowa including Cedar Rapids as well as in Des Moines, and Dubuque locations.
It was a lot of 80s Orange, Yellow, and White were on walls and materials at that rink. The new management changed to 1970s flair fonts for the name and new colors to update the appearance to become updated. Yellow, White, a hint of Olive Green, and Orange on the wall. It has two people speed skating on In-line Skates.
Skate Country sold this rink to its manager in 1990s or around there and then must be the re-registered with the manager becoming owner of this Cedar Rapids location and then closed for good in 2010s. Maybe 2015-ish. Who knows? Anybody?
(This rink was under Skate Country, Inc. of Cedar Falls, Iowa)
Rink Size: 999 SF Floor: White Coated Urethane coated Concrete
Floor Layout: Standard Oval
Building Size: 23,000 SF Built: N/A
Type of Building: Free Span Steel cinderblock Building. Demolished.
Roof: Flat
Acres: 2
Operated:
Under Skate Country of Tucson owned: N/A
Under new management ownership: 2010 to ? Dun and Bradstreet stated as 2010 to ?
Closed for good in c. 2015
Reason for Closure:
Under Skate Country of Tucson owned: N/A
Under new management ownership: N/A
Wanted: Information regarding photos of its heydays, both interior and exterior, why closed and sold off to management. Why closed for good? Dates of start and end for each management.
Sources: Facebook fan page, Robert Snellstrom, Dun and Bradstreet,
© 2019-2020 Dead Rinks. All Rights Reserved.
This rink according to Robert Snellstrom, was one of the official Skate Country that was affiliated with the other Skate Country of Des Moines, Dubuque, and the original-Tucson, AZ and the NOLA and one brief one in WPB, Florida.
There are many Skate Country rinks even the copycats. This was official however, the architecture of this building differ than the Wendell Lockhard's copy of blueprints as seen in the Tucson's location and similar to the copycat Skate Country Rochester, MN.
I will find out more from Robert regarding this location that has long since demolished after it was up for sale. According to Dun and Bradstreet, It said it was opened in 2010!? Got to be an error. But this rink is gone for sure because Google Map showed it was demolished.
According to Skate Country of Ceder Rapids, Iowa fan group on Facebook, it was up for sale a few years ago. It was a Cinderblock built flat roof open span building. It had different blueprint design because the front entrance was on "side" front facing the road instead of the long side as seen in the Skate Country Rochester copycat location and the main Skate Country of Tucson rink.
Entirely different design. The exterior walls color was unknown because all I have seen is when it was up for sale in all White walls which is common when a business is out of business, they usually paint or remove their trademarked design. Kind of like what Pizza Hut did to their restaurants when they shut down, they remove that Pizza Hut Red Hut roof-line and replaced with standard Brown or off Red roof shingles after removing that hut look to become Gable or something else.
I believe that was the case with this rink when it was for sale, all removed by paint over.
The interior had that Ice-White rink. Likely concrete floor but I am not sure but concrete was common in then-new 1970s and 1980s rinks. The wall had wavy stripes with the name "Skate Country" on diagonal. It is similar idea as the current Skate Country, Inc. of Tucson, AZ would have but more modern. The photos you see on the group in Facebook is showing those taken in 1980s. Skate Country in those photos were of the same official Skate Country, Inc. owned before sold to the managers in Iowa including Cedar Rapids as well as in Des Moines, and Dubuque locations.
It was a lot of 80s Orange, Yellow, and White were on walls and materials at that rink. The new management changed to 1970s flair fonts for the name and new colors to update the appearance to become updated. Yellow, White, a hint of Olive Green, and Orange on the wall. It has two people speed skating on In-line Skates.
Skate Country sold this rink to its manager in 1990s or around there and then must be the re-registered with the manager becoming owner of this Cedar Rapids location and then closed for good in 2010s. Maybe 2015-ish. Who knows? Anybody?
(This rink was under Skate Country, Inc. of Cedar Falls, Iowa)
Rink Size: 999 SF Floor: White Coated Urethane coated Concrete
Floor Layout: Standard Oval
Building Size: 23,000 SF Built: N/A
Type of Building: Free Span Steel cinderblock Building. Demolished.
Roof: Flat
Acres: 2
Operated:
Under Skate Country of Tucson owned: N/A
Under new management ownership: 2010 to ? Dun and Bradstreet stated as 2010 to ?
Closed for good in c. 2015
Reason for Closure:
Under Skate Country of Tucson owned: N/A
Under new management ownership: N/A
Wanted: Information regarding photos of its heydays, both interior and exterior, why closed and sold off to management. Why closed for good? Dates of start and end for each management.
Sources: Facebook fan page, Robert Snellstrom, Dun and Bradstreet,
© 2019-2020 Dead Rinks. All Rights Reserved.