Summit Beach Park Roller Rink Summit Beach Park, Ira Avenue, Akron, OH. Postcard published 1924. The roller rink was on the right front of this photograph postcard (pictured with 2 American flags on the roof). The ballroom was in rear center. In rear, it was Red Devil Wood Roller Coaster. This showed the waterfront front view of the rink. Source: Submit memory. And Ohio's Amusement Park in Vintage Postcards, page 66.
Summit Beach Park Roller Rink Summit Beach Park, Ira Avenue, Akron, OH. The roller rink was at by the water. See middle right. This showed the land-front frontage of the building. The big round building is quite understanding that it was a carousel. Source: Dead-Rinks.
Summit Beach Park Roller Rink Summit Beach Park, Ira Avenue, Akron, OH. The roller rink was at by the water. This showing the front of the building facing the land, the other side was water, I believe. Source: Dead-Rinks.
Summit Beach Park Roller Rink Summit Beach Park, Ira Avenue, Akron, OH. This was a newspaper letter to the editor of how Len Hunt Chandler Junior experienced at Summit Beach Park where he wanted to go swimming. He was discriminated. he was not known at the time but later on Len became well established musician and played among with some of the greatest musicians. Source: Akron Beacon Journal 15 August 1954. Written by Len H. Chandler Jr.
Summit Beach Park Roller Rink Summit Beach Park, Ira Avenue, Akron, OH
Summit Beach Park Roller Rink Summit Beach Park, Ira Avenue, Akron, Ohio was a rink during the period from 1917 when it was first opened as a Trolley Park and operated the rink until the park demise in 1958. This skating rink ran for 81 years.
First, it began with The first few parks surrounding the lake opened in the late 1880s, including one operated by the Menches Brothers, who invented of the Hamburg sandwich which is now we call it Hamburger. Yummy, right skaters? Gotta thanks to those guys! Always the fair or amusement park food become standard food, right?
It was not until Elwood Barrick, John Snyder, and John Ramanelli who had brainstorming idea for an amusement park on the lake, so they found investors which took them 3 years and the building the park as well.
It was not until 1917, Summit Beach Amusement Park opened. They included a few rides including a carousel, a roller coaster, and of course, a dance hall and a roller rink by the lake. This park was highly successfully that it earned a nickname, "The Million Dollar Playground" due to the fact they earned good money in the business. They were the most profitable amusement park in Eastern Ohio.
They had several record holding titles. They had the largest swimming pool with tiles on in the nation (some sources said world). It was 75 Feet by 180 Feet. That is just almost the same size as a National Hockey League hockey rink. That is quite big. NHL rink is 85 Feet by 200 Feet. Almost the same size as the Olympic Swimming Pool regulation size of 82 Feet (25 Meters) by 164 Feet (50 meters). Technically Summit Beach held world's largest and larger than the standard regulated Olympic Swimming Pool. I am sure there are swimming pools much bigger but are found at resorts and some amusement parks elsewhere. That would need to be researched another time another site. Dead Amusement Parks, good name for it? The swimming pool was then called Crystal Pool. They had to have the pool because as early as 1895, the town banned swimming in that lake due to very toxic waters. It was because of a rubber manufacturer dumped toxic chemicals in that lake. Not the first nor the only one. The pool was likely used the water from the toxic lake!
It is said to be 600,000 gallons of water pumped into the pool.
Another similar company did the same by dumping in Onondaga Lake in Syracuse, NY. I am sure others too. Love Canal was most infamous of all that the US government had to shut that town down after discovering because of Love Canal bad dumping of chemicals.
The other record holding they had was the ball room! It was so large that it can hold 5,000 patrons on the dance floor! That is huge! They called their Wisteria Ballroom the world’s largest dance floor.
They even had the largest funhouse too! This amusement park may had many record holding for sizes. Today, that theme park outside Orlando is the largest theme park in the world. But not everything they have the current records. Several other theme and amusement parks have their records. Or the firsts.
OK. Summit Beach Amusement Park was nevertheless very successful profitability however, discrimination was paramount because Blacks were not allowed at the park. Like many roller rinks and amusement parks, this park faced the same music. There is an article that might have said this is the park that may have turned a point to end discrimination.
But later, in 1950s, it was starting to decline. Several factors including reputation, people turned to television, automobiles for more distant travels and bigger amusement parks such as Cedar Point, competition.
They said they had several fires at the park, and starting to run down.
At first before the World War II, they used Trolleys to go to the park to enjoy although this park was not a Trolley Park. It was classified as Amusement Park. The trolleys may have been run by the Akron Scenic Railways Company.
The park had 25,000 visitors daily! That was quite a bit of visitors for its kind at the time. It was the Amusement park to go to like everyone else today go to the one in the World's Largest in Florida which is 25 square mile.
Interesting to note. the Dance hall, Wisteria Ballroom was one of the largest dance hall in the world as I mentioned already that held 5,000 patrons to dance. It was 28,000 Square Foot dance floor using Oak. The ballroom burned in 1950 entirely to the ground in a horrific fire.
The Interior.
Likely it had non-painted clear Hardwood Oak floor. Layout are unknown. it was to match with the Wisteria Ballroom having had Non-painted Oak floor. The size of the Wisteria might have been similar size with the roller rink floor in square footage.
The Exterior
According to the postcard, there are several buildings but which is which? Unknown which building that housed the roller rink. They all looked alike. White walled, likely Cinderblocks with stucco on it and Red-colored roof which resembled to American South Spanish style. but this was in Ohio. Which one? But they all have similar architecture style. Looked more like a sort of Italianate or Romanticism Italian Revival of sort. Or Italian Renaissance Revival. Not sure. We will figure it out.
The building that house the rink has similar style to the dance hall. And other buildings to make it all look uniformed. Rarely places have uniformed design for the entire campus. I know of one. That would be Rochester Institute of Technology or known as RIT. They call that place, "The Brick Yard" which is entirely Red Brick in struck in 1960s-70s even they had new build ups, they were all in that style.
Also another place, the Presidio in greater San Francisco, California area all had that style in same look in its entirely.
Well, Summit Beach Amusement Park had uniformed design. All were set up right close to the shore of the lake. A walking path was literally next to the lake.
The swimming pool was right on the shoreline of the lake. Today, it is a marker roughly the spot of the deep end of the swimming pool. It is all filled.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Likely non-painted, floatation Oak. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: 28,000 SF (possible matching to the ballroom) Built: 1917 Renovations: N/A. Demolished: Likely 1958.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Steel - Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gabled.
Acres: N/A.
Operated: (Overall)-- 1917 to Labor Day, Monday, 01 September 1958.
Reason for Closure: Reputation due to discrimination, lawsuits, people turned to television, automobiles for more distant travels and bigger amusement parks such as Cedar Point/competition.
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. You can also use this form.
Sources:
Swimming Pool size for Olympics requirement.
Summit Memory - Postcard.
WSKU 89.7 News - History and newspaper article included.
Akron Beacon Journal 15 August 1954. Written by Len H. Chandler Jr.
Discogs - Len H. Chandler Jr.
Postcards
Akron Beacon Journal - 06 July 2020
Ohio's Amusement Park in Vintage Postcards - page 66.
Akron, Ohio Moms - Postcards of many parks including Summit Beach.
Date of issue: 14 December 2021.
For office use only: 4.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 and 16.
First, it began with The first few parks surrounding the lake opened in the late 1880s, including one operated by the Menches Brothers, who invented of the Hamburg sandwich which is now we call it Hamburger. Yummy, right skaters? Gotta thanks to those guys! Always the fair or amusement park food become standard food, right?
It was not until Elwood Barrick, John Snyder, and John Ramanelli who had brainstorming idea for an amusement park on the lake, so they found investors which took them 3 years and the building the park as well.
It was not until 1917, Summit Beach Amusement Park opened. They included a few rides including a carousel, a roller coaster, and of course, a dance hall and a roller rink by the lake. This park was highly successfully that it earned a nickname, "The Million Dollar Playground" due to the fact they earned good money in the business. They were the most profitable amusement park in Eastern Ohio.
They had several record holding titles. They had the largest swimming pool with tiles on in the nation (some sources said world). It was 75 Feet by 180 Feet. That is just almost the same size as a National Hockey League hockey rink. That is quite big. NHL rink is 85 Feet by 200 Feet. Almost the same size as the Olympic Swimming Pool regulation size of 82 Feet (25 Meters) by 164 Feet (50 meters). Technically Summit Beach held world's largest and larger than the standard regulated Olympic Swimming Pool. I am sure there are swimming pools much bigger but are found at resorts and some amusement parks elsewhere. That would need to be researched another time another site. Dead Amusement Parks, good name for it? The swimming pool was then called Crystal Pool. They had to have the pool because as early as 1895, the town banned swimming in that lake due to very toxic waters. It was because of a rubber manufacturer dumped toxic chemicals in that lake. Not the first nor the only one. The pool was likely used the water from the toxic lake!
It is said to be 600,000 gallons of water pumped into the pool.
Another similar company did the same by dumping in Onondaga Lake in Syracuse, NY. I am sure others too. Love Canal was most infamous of all that the US government had to shut that town down after discovering because of Love Canal bad dumping of chemicals.
The other record holding they had was the ball room! It was so large that it can hold 5,000 patrons on the dance floor! That is huge! They called their Wisteria Ballroom the world’s largest dance floor.
They even had the largest funhouse too! This amusement park may had many record holding for sizes. Today, that theme park outside Orlando is the largest theme park in the world. But not everything they have the current records. Several other theme and amusement parks have their records. Or the firsts.
OK. Summit Beach Amusement Park was nevertheless very successful profitability however, discrimination was paramount because Blacks were not allowed at the park. Like many roller rinks and amusement parks, this park faced the same music. There is an article that might have said this is the park that may have turned a point to end discrimination.
But later, in 1950s, it was starting to decline. Several factors including reputation, people turned to television, automobiles for more distant travels and bigger amusement parks such as Cedar Point, competition.
They said they had several fires at the park, and starting to run down.
At first before the World War II, they used Trolleys to go to the park to enjoy although this park was not a Trolley Park. It was classified as Amusement Park. The trolleys may have been run by the Akron Scenic Railways Company.
The park had 25,000 visitors daily! That was quite a bit of visitors for its kind at the time. It was the Amusement park to go to like everyone else today go to the one in the World's Largest in Florida which is 25 square mile.
Interesting to note. the Dance hall, Wisteria Ballroom was one of the largest dance hall in the world as I mentioned already that held 5,000 patrons to dance. It was 28,000 Square Foot dance floor using Oak. The ballroom burned in 1950 entirely to the ground in a horrific fire.
The Interior.
Likely it had non-painted clear Hardwood Oak floor. Layout are unknown. it was to match with the Wisteria Ballroom having had Non-painted Oak floor. The size of the Wisteria might have been similar size with the roller rink floor in square footage.
The Exterior
According to the postcard, there are several buildings but which is which? Unknown which building that housed the roller rink. They all looked alike. White walled, likely Cinderblocks with stucco on it and Red-colored roof which resembled to American South Spanish style. but this was in Ohio. Which one? But they all have similar architecture style. Looked more like a sort of Italianate or Romanticism Italian Revival of sort. Or Italian Renaissance Revival. Not sure. We will figure it out.
The building that house the rink has similar style to the dance hall. And other buildings to make it all look uniformed. Rarely places have uniformed design for the entire campus. I know of one. That would be Rochester Institute of Technology or known as RIT. They call that place, "The Brick Yard" which is entirely Red Brick in struck in 1960s-70s even they had new build ups, they were all in that style.
Also another place, the Presidio in greater San Francisco, California area all had that style in same look in its entirely.
Well, Summit Beach Amusement Park had uniformed design. All were set up right close to the shore of the lake. A walking path was literally next to the lake.
The swimming pool was right on the shoreline of the lake. Today, it is a marker roughly the spot of the deep end of the swimming pool. It is all filled.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Likely non-painted, floatation Oak. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: 28,000 SF (possible matching to the ballroom) Built: 1917 Renovations: N/A. Demolished: Likely 1958.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Steel - Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gabled.
Acres: N/A.
Operated: (Overall)-- 1917 to Labor Day, Monday, 01 September 1958.
Reason for Closure: Reputation due to discrimination, lawsuits, people turned to television, automobiles for more distant travels and bigger amusement parks such as Cedar Point/competition.
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. You can also use this form.
Sources:
Swimming Pool size for Olympics requirement.
Summit Memory - Postcard.
WSKU 89.7 News - History and newspaper article included.
Akron Beacon Journal 15 August 1954. Written by Len H. Chandler Jr.
Discogs - Len H. Chandler Jr.
Postcards
Akron Beacon Journal - 06 July 2020
Ohio's Amusement Park in Vintage Postcards - page 66.
Akron, Ohio Moms - Postcards of many parks including Summit Beach.
Date of issue: 14 December 2021.
For office use only: 4.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 and 16.