Sholes Hillsgrove Country Club Roller Rink, Warwick, RI

HOUSE RULES: Gentlemen are not permitted to Skate in Vests, Overalls, or Dungarees----If Sweaters are worn they must be Clean and Neat in appearance----Aluminum, Alloy or Metal Wheels of any kind are Forbidden. Fast Skating, Playing Tag, Racing, Shoving, Wrestling, Smoking on the Skating surface, Stamping your Skates in time with the Music, Drinking or bringing intoxicating Liquors into the building, Petting of any kind and Profanity are Strictly Forbidden---- The Management reserves the right to refuse Admission to any objectionable Person or Persons, and the right to eject any Person or Persons from the Building and Premises that violates the above rules.
THIS RINK IS NOT ENTIRELY A PUBLIC PLACE



Sadly, this rink no longer exists. But, I have chosen it as my first entry because it was the first (and so far, only) rink I became really attached to as an adult. I skated there pretty much every week for years.

Sholes had a long history, having started it's life as the golf course clubhouse for the Hillsgrove Country Club, later the site of T.F. Green Airport. The Sholes family had owned and operated a number of rinks on the east coast and this was the last one in existence. The family bought the building after a 1930's hurricane destroyed a rink they owned in the Oakland Beach area of Warwick. The building was doubled in size and the band stage shortened. A Michigan Maple floor was installed and the largest roller rink I have been in to date was born.



In addition to the stage, Sholes had a very nice lounge that featured a cherry bar with lighted footrests and frescoes of movie stars of the twenties and thirties. Here, One half of Louise Brooks' head is in the lounge, the other half was moved to the other end of the building when it was expanded. This was one of only a couple of clues to tip you off to the major construction that had taken place.

Besides the seating in the lounge, the rink featured a section of booths that were accessed directly off the skating floor as well as booths that were located on an aisle off of the skating surface.




For many years, the rink was home to local kids and dedicated adult skaters. The wall of photos in the lounge attested to years of well attended New Year's Eve parties and wartime crowds of skaters, including many SeaBees from the base at Quonset Point.

Looking at the photos made me realize that Sholes had hosted many shows over the years with live entertainment. I asked if it were possible to bring bands into Sholes for a special event. That was the begining of a three year run of holiday parties featuring bands and organists.

Unfortunately, the rink was near the end. Due to it's close proximity to the airport, the value of the property was far exceeding the value of the business. In the summer of 1999, the rink was torn down to make way for a new hotel.

More photos are here.