ED-L-RINK-ADD001 · Photographs · Published April 1946
Eli Skating Club lobby and skating floor
Historic Roller Rinks
Two interior photographs document the club's lobby and open skating floor at 384 Davenport Avenue.
Read item & source notesCOLLECTION 020 · SGC-RR-020
Historic Roller Rinks
New Haven & West Haven · addresses, changing names & leisure history
Original directory entries and a WPA town history recover rink names, locations and the places of skating in local recreation.
OPENING / FIRST RECORDED DATENew Haven Roller Skating Rink documented in 1884
FOUNDED / HISTORICAL PERIODSeveral venues; opening dates vary
The earliest included listing is evidence of operation, not a verified opening year. Eli’s 1942 opening and 1956 Rollaround transition are attributed to a specialist compilation.
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The story in photographs
1884
1884 New Haven directory, classified business section
New Haven Roller Skating Rink, 147 Dwight Street, in the 1884 classified directory.
1886
Four rinks, four addresses
A short classified list becomes a map of possible research. Keep each street address with its rink name, then compare later directories and property records. Similar names alone cannot prove that two entries describe the same venue.
1886
The detail behind a name
This alphabetical listing identifies Lincoln Roller Skating Rink Co., its manager and its rear-of-Chapel-Street address. The ordinary printed lettering is original source typography; an authentic rink logo remains to be found.
1911
1911 New Haven directory, p. 105
The Casino, managed by Henry Morosse, listed as a skating rink at 9 Portsea Street. This entry alone does not specify roller versus ice skating.
1918
A Modern History of New Haven and Eastern New Haven County, vol. II, p. 838
James McLay biography records purchase of the former Grand Avenue and Bright Street skating rink in 1891 and its conversion for carriage making.
1940
A rink without a recovered name
The town history supplies a street, construction year and approximate cost. It does not supply a business name or photograph. Those three facts make a useful starting point for building permits and newspaper searches.
Image credit & source
Writers’ Program (U.S.), Connecticut; Town of West Haven; Church Press; Internet Archive
Original source1940
History of West Haven, Connecticut, p. 4
The 1940 town history places skating rinks among Savin Rock’s restaurants, dance halls and other amusements.
Image credit & source
Writers’ Program (U.S.), Connecticut; Town of West Haven; Church Press; Internet Archive
Original source1940
History of West Haven, Connecticut, title page
Title page identifies the WPA Writers’ Program compilers and Town of West Haven publisher of the 1940 history.
Image credit & source
Writers’ Program (U.S.), Connecticut; Town of West Haven; Church Press; Internet Archive
Original sourceRead the full story of Historic Roller Rinks
COLLECTION HISTORY
The people behind the place.
A clearly named New Haven Roller Skating Rink appears at 147 Dwight Street in the 1884 directory. The 1886 classified list separately records Dwight Street, Lincoln, Quinnipiac and Sperry Street rinks. These entries recover places to investigate, but do not establish their opening days. [RR-002]
In 1886, Lincoln Rink is listed behind 962 Chapel Street, while Quinnipiac is at Grand Avenue and Bright Street. A 1918 biography describes a former Grand/Bright rink using both Lincoln and Quinnipiac names when recalling its 1891 conversion for carriage manufacture. Preserve the date and source of each name rather than treating the 1886 locations as one building. [RR-005]
The 1940 WPA town history places skating among Savin Rock’s attractions and reports an approximately $20,000 Beach Street rink built in 1938. It does not name that rink. A 1906 Homestead rink advertisement is a separate newspaper lead whose original scan remains unavailable. [RR-006]
A specialist compilation traces Eli Skating Club at 384 Davenport Avenue to 1942 and a 1956 sale associated with the New Haven Rollaround name. Its linked period publications are valuable next sources for photographs and advertising, but the individual images and final operating date still need verification. [RR-018]
Directory entries recover rinks that may have left little visible trace. Their names and addresses are especially important where a later recollection uses different names for a remembered building. An advertisement records an invitation to skate, while a photograph may reveal a floor, facade or group of participants; neither alone establishes the complete operating life. The conversion of a former rink to carriage manufacture also shows that a recreation building could take on industrial work. Following such transitions makes local leisure part of the history of ordinary urban property, with changing businesses and audiences rather than a single lost golden age. [RR-002] [RR-005] [RR-006]
ESTABLISHEDSeveral venues; opening dates vary
EARLIEST HISTORYNew Haven Roller Skating Rink documented in 1884
The earliest included listing is evidence of operation, not a verified opening year. Eli’s 1942 opening and 1956 Rollaround transition are attributed to a specialist compilation.
About this research edition. Eight included document scans identify early rinks and a Beach Street construction project. No reusable rink exterior or interior photograph, display advertisement or authentic rink logo was acquired. Newspaper, advertisement and photographic leads remain linked and labeled as unverified where necessary. Original directory lettering is not presented as a logo. East Haven, Hamden and New Haven, Indiana venues are not merged with these cities.
THE SEARCHABLE CATALOG
Images, maps & original records
Search includes catalog notes and the OCR text included with this edition. OCR may misread names or dates; use the original scan to verify a match.
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ED-L-RINK-ADD002 · Photographs · 1956 championship issue
Ben and Florence Morey receive a farewell plaque
Historic Roller Rinks
The Moreys received a plaque from skaters before leaving Eli after fourteen years of operation.
Read item & source notesED-L-RINK-ADD003 · Photographs · 2017
Surviving vertical rink sign on Davenport Avenue
Historic Roller Rinks
A fragment of the old rink sign remained on the former skating building in 2017.
Read item & source notesED-L-RINK-ADD004 · Photographs · Published January 14, 1956
Ben Morey's Eli sold to McLaughlin
Historic Roller Rinks
A contemporary trade-paper clipping announces Ed McLaughlin's purchase and plans to rename the rink New Haven Roll A Round.
Read item & source notesContinue your research offline.
Extract the ZIP and open START_HERE.html. It includes the catalog, selected images, acquired source text, credits and a searchable SQLite database. New photo additions are hosted in the SGC media library and require an internet connection; original bundled images remain available offline.