Thunderbird Roller Rink East St. Louis, IL. Sorry no photos available yet.
Thunderbird Roller Rink East St. Louis, IL
Thunderbird Roller Rink East St. Louis, Illinois was a sister rink to Hudson Roller Rink in the same town. Just a different name. Some chains like to have a different name. That is understandable. Some prefer the same like you see the fast food chains like the old Burger Chef or department stores like Caldor or Kaufmann's or video stores (remember those such as Blockbusters?) You get the idea. This is different and I am sure they were smart to mask that they are not to be the same. Maybe among the circles of skaters when they talk about which rink and not to be confused. It happened to us one time. That is another story another time.
It was owned by Mr. Frank Hudson who owned the Hudson Roller Rink till it burned down in 1968. They too owned Thunderbird Roller Rink in 1950s. Thunderbirds were popular birds name to go with the 1950s as Barn Owls and the Flaming Chicken were to 1970s along with the American Bald Eagles at the time. It is called trends. It was trendy at the time for this name. Yes, Ford Motors Company had their popular sports car, Thunderbird at the time.
This is what D. J has to say about his grandfather running the rinks at the time--
Dear Mark
The other rink was called Thunderbird Roller Rink and was also in East Saint Louis Illinois. It also had a massive hard wood floor that was 80' x 160'. The building looked like a large aircraft hanger.
This rink also had a large outside rink that was connected to the inside. It opened in 1958 and closed in the early 1970’s. The building was sold and changed into a factory.
In the 1960’s they had many celebrities make appearances. For example George Harrison’s sister was there when the Beatles were so popular. They also hosted rock and roll bands after skating sessions.
Ike and Tina Turner was there and other local bands would play on the weekends. I’m trying to get some more photos for you. Good luck with your research.
The Interior.
The rink floor was a Non-Painted Hardwood Maple floor sized to 80 Feet by 160 Feet and the atmosphere feeling was like an aircraft hanger like. This sounds like it had Segmental Arch. Exposed ceiling. Is that correct?
The Exterior.
According to the grandson of the owner of this rink, he said it was an aircraft hanger like building. Many hangers are Segmental Arch at the time and today's hangers are Flat roofed. Likely for the time, it was Segmental Arch and Steel Walled. This means Free-Span Steel Trusses. Must be quite spacious inside!
The Stats:
Rink Size: 80' x 160'. Floor: Non-painted Hardwood Maple. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: 1958. Renovations: N/A. Demolished: Still standing, now a factory.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Steel (?) - Walled aircraft hanger - like Building.
Roof: Segmental Arch?
Acres: N/A.
Operated: (Overall)-- 1958 to early 1970s.
Reason for Closure: N/A.
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:
Email - D.J. (Early 2022)
Email - D.K. (22 May 2022)
Worth to visit:
None.
Date of issue: 2021.
Update: Early 2022.
Update: 22 May 2022.
For office use only: 1.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 and 16.
It was owned by Mr. Frank Hudson who owned the Hudson Roller Rink till it burned down in 1968. They too owned Thunderbird Roller Rink in 1950s. Thunderbirds were popular birds name to go with the 1950s as Barn Owls and the Flaming Chicken were to 1970s along with the American Bald Eagles at the time. It is called trends. It was trendy at the time for this name. Yes, Ford Motors Company had their popular sports car, Thunderbird at the time.
This is what D. J has to say about his grandfather running the rinks at the time--
Dear Mark
The other rink was called Thunderbird Roller Rink and was also in East Saint Louis Illinois. It also had a massive hard wood floor that was 80' x 160'. The building looked like a large aircraft hanger.
This rink also had a large outside rink that was connected to the inside. It opened in 1958 and closed in the early 1970’s. The building was sold and changed into a factory.
In the 1960’s they had many celebrities make appearances. For example George Harrison’s sister was there when the Beatles were so popular. They also hosted rock and roll bands after skating sessions.
Ike and Tina Turner was there and other local bands would play on the weekends. I’m trying to get some more photos for you. Good luck with your research.
The Interior.
The rink floor was a Non-Painted Hardwood Maple floor sized to 80 Feet by 160 Feet and the atmosphere feeling was like an aircraft hanger like. This sounds like it had Segmental Arch. Exposed ceiling. Is that correct?
The Exterior.
According to the grandson of the owner of this rink, he said it was an aircraft hanger like building. Many hangers are Segmental Arch at the time and today's hangers are Flat roofed. Likely for the time, it was Segmental Arch and Steel Walled. This means Free-Span Steel Trusses. Must be quite spacious inside!
The Stats:
Rink Size: 80' x 160'. Floor: Non-painted Hardwood Maple. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: 1958. Renovations: N/A. Demolished: Still standing, now a factory.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Steel (?) - Walled aircraft hanger - like Building.
Roof: Segmental Arch?
Acres: N/A.
Operated: (Overall)-- 1958 to early 1970s.
Reason for Closure: N/A.
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:
Email - D.J. (Early 2022)
Email - D.K. (22 May 2022)
Worth to visit:
None.
Date of issue: 2021.
Update: Early 2022.
Update: 22 May 2022.
For office use only: 1.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 and 16.