Southgate Skates Southgate Plaza, 5499 Warrensville Center Road, Maple Heights, OH. Taken in 2011. Source: Google.
Southgate Skates Southgate Plaza, 5499 Warrensville Center Road, Maple Heights, OH. Taken in 2012. Source: Google.
Southgate Skates Southgate Plaza, 5499 Warrensville Center Road, Maple Heights, OH. Taken in 2014. Source: Google.
Southgate Skates Southgate Plaza, 5499 Warrensville Center Road, Maple Heights, OH. Taken in 2015. Source: Google.
Southgate Skates Southgate Plaza, 5499 Warrensville Center Rd, Maple Heights, OH
Southgate was a roller rink in a town called Maple Heights in Ohio. It was in the Southgate Plaza on 5499 Warrensville Center Road in Maple Heights, Ohio. I found a fantastic read about this rink in a nice article written by Melvin Gaines among with a few rinks he went to. But apparently he was fond of Southgate Skates.
Southgate Skates was a rink build in a former A&P grocery store that the store closed in 1978. Southgate Skates opened immediately after the dying grocery store franchise closed. The site was in where Murray's, later O'Reilly Auto Parts, and a Petland store occupy the site now. Also where Pizza Hut is also located. The skating rink closed in 1990 because the owners could not afford skyrocket rising prices of insurance so they shut it down.
The choice of music were interesting. They had Jazz, Disco, and Soul music at the time when Melvin skated in 1980s. Of course some 1980s Rock.
As I was researching, I asked friends in Facebook in another group for the location, Someone mentioned exactly where and it was facing the Warrensville Center Road side. The plaza itself was quite not just retail but entertainment including the Southgate Bowling (now called The Lanes) and formerly located was Putt Putt®.
The A&P list does not list any store having been in this suburb of Cleveland. Apparently the historians for the once popular grocery store chain must have missed the spot.
The Interior.
This is what Melvin Gaines mentioned the interior. This is my interpretation from what he said.
The roller rink floor was on the left side as you walk in and the DJ booth was on a platform close from the entrance while the right side were skate rental and the concession stand and eating area with Orange laminated benches and tables dinettes similar you would find at a fast food restaurant.
There are benches as well. I do not know what kind of benches they were. The highwire spool style? Or what?
Melvin said the rink floor was "Small" compared to other rinks and other skaters said the same to him as regard other rinks such as in a dead rink called Roller Palace in Mayfield Heights, Ohio and was much smaller than the still-operational United Skates of America rink in Wickliffe, Ohio.
Melvin said the floor was perfect. He said skaters said it was too slippery. It had a lot of varnish on it. He even said not to have urethane wheels on that floor because of the slippery floor. To me it sounded like wood floor. Likely Maple.
Architecturally, it had four posts in the middle of the rink. It was well padded for protection. That was because of the building was designed for a plaza which is a type of building for conversion to something else. Plazas usually have Flat roofs. Plaza rinks like Empire Skates had those posts. A few other rinks in plazas were like that too like one in Arizona, and a few others I forgot the names or whereabouts.
They had banister rail around the rink.
The Exterior.
Columns Posts Steel Trusses Storefront Plaza - like Building with Flat Roof.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Maple? Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built/Renovations: N/A. Demolished: N/A.
Type of Building: Columns Posts Steel Trusses Storefront Plaza - like Building.
Roof: Flat.
Acres: N/A.
Operated: (Overall)-- 1978 to 1990.
Reason for Closure: Rising insurance force to close. Owners could not afford it.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also photos/articles. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources:
Melvin Gaines
Facebook - Retail Dead or Alive group.
A&P - list of closed grocery store.
Date of issue: 10 September 2021.
For office use only: 4
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 and 16.
Southgate Skates was a rink build in a former A&P grocery store that the store closed in 1978. Southgate Skates opened immediately after the dying grocery store franchise closed. The site was in where Murray's, later O'Reilly Auto Parts, and a Petland store occupy the site now. Also where Pizza Hut is also located. The skating rink closed in 1990 because the owners could not afford skyrocket rising prices of insurance so they shut it down.
The choice of music were interesting. They had Jazz, Disco, and Soul music at the time when Melvin skated in 1980s. Of course some 1980s Rock.
As I was researching, I asked friends in Facebook in another group for the location, Someone mentioned exactly where and it was facing the Warrensville Center Road side. The plaza itself was quite not just retail but entertainment including the Southgate Bowling (now called The Lanes) and formerly located was Putt Putt®.
The A&P list does not list any store having been in this suburb of Cleveland. Apparently the historians for the once popular grocery store chain must have missed the spot.
The Interior.
This is what Melvin Gaines mentioned the interior. This is my interpretation from what he said.
The roller rink floor was on the left side as you walk in and the DJ booth was on a platform close from the entrance while the right side were skate rental and the concession stand and eating area with Orange laminated benches and tables dinettes similar you would find at a fast food restaurant.
There are benches as well. I do not know what kind of benches they were. The highwire spool style? Or what?
Melvin said the rink floor was "Small" compared to other rinks and other skaters said the same to him as regard other rinks such as in a dead rink called Roller Palace in Mayfield Heights, Ohio and was much smaller than the still-operational United Skates of America rink in Wickliffe, Ohio.
Melvin said the floor was perfect. He said skaters said it was too slippery. It had a lot of varnish on it. He even said not to have urethane wheels on that floor because of the slippery floor. To me it sounded like wood floor. Likely Maple.
Architecturally, it had four posts in the middle of the rink. It was well padded for protection. That was because of the building was designed for a plaza which is a type of building for conversion to something else. Plazas usually have Flat roofs. Plaza rinks like Empire Skates had those posts. A few other rinks in plazas were like that too like one in Arizona, and a few others I forgot the names or whereabouts.
They had banister rail around the rink.
The Exterior.
Columns Posts Steel Trusses Storefront Plaza - like Building with Flat Roof.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Maple? Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built/Renovations: N/A. Demolished: N/A.
Type of Building: Columns Posts Steel Trusses Storefront Plaza - like Building.
Roof: Flat.
Acres: N/A.
Operated: (Overall)-- 1978 to 1990.
Reason for Closure: Rising insurance force to close. Owners could not afford it.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also photos/articles. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources:
Melvin Gaines
Facebook - Retail Dead or Alive group.
A&P - list of closed grocery store.
Date of issue: 10 September 2021.
For office use only: 4
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 and 16.