Photo courtesy Terry Heier. Appeared to be taken in 1980s because of the look of the film.
Noticed roughly exact location. Big changes. I can tell where because of the side. Look at both photos and you will see the doors, and that vertical sticking up from ground to roof on the side. They added windows. And the big building is a fitness center they built after the rink closed--likely.
The rink building today as a church. They added more buildings and took out a street (see original photo), and expand parking lot plus they added a garage, playground... that church is growing. PTL!
Wheel-A-While Roller Skating, 3200 11th St. North, Bismarck, ND
Wheel-A-While Roller Skating Rink was held at at 3200 11th Street North but another source says it was around the corner at 1030 Weiss Avenue. That source is wrong. It was merely feet apart because of the location. So, by observation, the correct location was at 3200 11th Street because the original building is still there but the church expanded by adding another gable roof building and adding a small playground for their nursery and added a garage in front where the rink used to be.
Anyway, there is not much information but the rink was opened in 1975 and closed for good around 1986. It did not last long.
It has Gable roof, sheet metal warehouse style building with 2 front glass doors but what really marked the spot was a very huge roller skate sign in front. It reminds many of you another rink, A Skateland in Tennessee. The building sported Van Gogh Yellow with white stone facade on front and some White on top part under the roof.
The map showed the location. From the original photo, it would look like the tire store's location because of the parking space however, if you turn and look, it does not make any sense that there is no street in the old 80s photograph because of the original building still stands. However, I looked at the Google Map, I found clues that the original still stands at this Church has. They took out the parking lot on that side as they reroute the road and taking out the parking lot next to it in this photograph seen above. Compare them. It was because of road moved a little and the expansion of the area adding other commercial properties including next door which encroached the property cutting off the parking lot that side. Now the current parking lot is in the back behind the former rink. See Maps above.
Rink Size: N/A Floor: N/A Floor Layout: N/A
Building Size: 18,000 SF Built: N/A
Type of Building: Sheet metal warehouse style.
Roof: Gable, low pitch.
Operated: 1974 to July 1987. Currently A New Song Church occupied the building since 1990.
Reason for Closure: N/A
Wanted: Information regarding photos of interior and exterior, why closed, specific dates of open and closing. More information.
Sources: Flickr, Photo courtesy Terry Heier.
Bismarck Cafe/Hoffman Creations/BisManCafe.com,
Bismarck Tribune newspaper, Obit,
© 2019 Dead Rinks. All Rights Reserved.
Wheel-A-While Roller Skating Rink was held at at 3200 11th Street North but another source says it was around the corner at 1030 Weiss Avenue. That source is wrong. It was merely feet apart because of the location. So, by observation, the correct location was at 3200 11th Street because the original building is still there but the church expanded by adding another gable roof building and adding a small playground for their nursery and added a garage in front where the rink used to be.
Anyway, there is not much information but the rink was opened in 1975 and closed for good around 1986. It did not last long.
It has Gable roof, sheet metal warehouse style building with 2 front glass doors but what really marked the spot was a very huge roller skate sign in front. It reminds many of you another rink, A Skateland in Tennessee. The building sported Van Gogh Yellow with white stone facade on front and some White on top part under the roof.
The map showed the location. From the original photo, it would look like the tire store's location because of the parking space however, if you turn and look, it does not make any sense that there is no street in the old 80s photograph because of the original building still stands. However, I looked at the Google Map, I found clues that the original still stands at this Church has. They took out the parking lot on that side as they reroute the road and taking out the parking lot next to it in this photograph seen above. Compare them. It was because of road moved a little and the expansion of the area adding other commercial properties including next door which encroached the property cutting off the parking lot that side. Now the current parking lot is in the back behind the former rink. See Maps above.
Rink Size: N/A Floor: N/A Floor Layout: N/A
Building Size: 18,000 SF Built: N/A
Type of Building: Sheet metal warehouse style.
Roof: Gable, low pitch.
Operated: 1974 to July 1987. Currently A New Song Church occupied the building since 1990.
Reason for Closure: N/A
Wanted: Information regarding photos of interior and exterior, why closed, specific dates of open and closing. More information.
Sources: Flickr, Photo courtesy Terry Heier.
Bismarck Cafe/Hoffman Creations/BisManCafe.com,
Bismarck Tribune newspaper, Obit,
© 2019 Dead Rinks. All Rights Reserved.