Dreamland Skating Rink …
This is the Dreamland Skating Rink that used to be located on Pace Blvd and this was made sometime in the 1950’s. Notice that all the windows were opened, so this was way before air conditioning. This photo was run through a Photoshop plugin ( Lucis ) to add contrast and bring out detail in the shadows. Below is just a b&w scan …
The Lucis added photo has a little more “snap” to it and I have run it on several other photos. I doubt that I will do it on all the posts in the future, only the ones that I think are improved by it. Next are some interior panoramas done the same way.
With Lucis and the bottom photo is without.
The bottom photo seems to have enough contrast without the Lucis filter being run on it. You can almost imagine the place packed on Friday and Saturday nights. And you know that the place had to be steaming hot with all of those teenage skaters. When these photos were taken, it was before my time, but I can still remember going to birthday skating parties here in the mid-1960’s. I cannot remember if this place was still around in the disco era … if it was, you know that the funk was rising!! As usual, all comments are welcomed and appreciated.
Note: That was the only part of “Disco Inferno” that I could remember. I apologize in advance for not knowing more of the song. Frank
Frank Hardy Made My Photographs Two 
I went to Dreamland for lots of birthday parties and even had one of my own there. Girl Scout skating parties as well. Ooh, this site is flooding my feeble brain with wondrous memories!!
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Sharon Lewis Smith
June 25, 2013 at 6:21 pm
Thanks for the comment and looking … Frank
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Frank Hardy
June 26, 2013 at 8:53 am
I recall a skating rink in downtown, maybe on Chase Street. It was one or two blocks east of Palafox. Cannot remember the name but I spent a lot of happy hours there. Bill Kreitlein
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Bill Kreitlein
August 31, 2012 at 9:15 am
Not sure of that skating rink … I just remember the one on Pace Blvd off of Fairfield. Thanks … Frank
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Frank Hardy
August 31, 2012 at 6:57 pm
Frank Hardy, in 1959 there was a skating rink named Rollercade located at 37 East Chase Street. I found this information in a 1959 Southern Bell phone book.
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Benny Hilliard
August 19, 2013 at 12:10 am
Benny … Thanks for the comment and the info. I did not know that there was a skating rink down on Chase Street, one block off of Palafox Street. I can remember Dreamland fairly well, mostly from birthday parties that I went to in grade school and in junior high school. I do not remember when it was torn down, maybe if someone out there knows, they will tell us. Thanks for the info and please check back … Frank
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Frank Hardy
August 19, 2013 at 8:02 am
Hey Bill, this skating rink was on Navy Blvd. This one burned down and they built the one which in now Landmark. I was practically raised in Dreamland. (both of them) Christy
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Christy Langford
August 31, 2012 at 7:08 pm
The downtown skating rink was Silver Dome. Ruthie Parks was our neighbor on East Lee St. and her maternal grandfather was the owner. Can’t remember his last name.
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Bill Hastings
January 24, 2013 at 9:29 pm
Thanks for that Bill … Frank
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Frank Hardy
January 26, 2013 at 9:08 am
I knew a Ruth Parks from McReynolds Elementary through PHS Class of ’59. Ruth is living in Spokane, WA now. Her mother is there as well. Bill Kreitlein
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Bill Kreitlein
May 23, 2013 at 3:30 pm
Thanks for your reply and info about Ruth; we knew her as ‘Ruthie’. I’m sure we’re talking about the same person. Bill Hastings
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Bill Hastings
May 23, 2013 at 7:49 pm
HELLO Frank, my name is Linda Bryars Windham. I was born in Pensacola June 29th 1946. My parents were the late Mark Bryars Sr. and Lela Bryars. How happy i am to have seen your post. You could never know what it means to me to see your photos and go back to the home of my youth .I was born while my parents lived downtown on West Jackson St. When I was 5 yrs. old my dad moved us to Ferry Pass where i lived untill I was 16 years an d 2 months old. On August 11th 1962 I marrried my childhood sweetheart who ived in Mobile, Ala. We have just celebrated our 50th wedding anniv. the 11th of this month. I am 66 years old and i have such fond memories of growing up there. The most exicteing of all your pictures are the ones of Dreamland Skateing rink. My Mother took my brother, my sister and I there every Friday and Ssturday night. And during the summer months we would go on Wednesdays also.. MY Dad was the head baker and cook at the San Carlos for many many years. I won’t continue to bore you right now but i will comment on all most all of your post as time will allow me to. I hope that you will emAIL ME RIGHT AWAY so that i can send you my phone number and we could talk.. I have traced my ancesstors all the way back where they came to America.. Pensacola library is full of all my ancesters, I went there around fourteen years ago in hope of finding out more of my Fathers heritage. And only then did I know why my FATHER BOUGHT LAND IN Ferry Pass. He was reaching back to his roots but he never told us that at the time. He has been passed for 32 years now. He was 19 years my Mothers Sr. so he was more like a Granfather to me than a Father. I have just lost my Mother this year at the age of 87..It has been a bad year for me I have lost her and so many of my best friends to death. thank you for all your post, please email me as soon as you see this comment, I would love to compare notes with you…….. Linda Bryars Windham Waycross, Ga.
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Linda Bryars Windham
August 28, 2012 at 6:10 pm
Linda … Thanks for the comment and kind words, they really mean a lot. I will get in touch with you in the near future … I want to hear about your father working at the San Carlos. I have not been able to find out anything from people who have worked there. I still work and with this hurricane passing through, I have things that I have to take care of in the next few days. Please keep in touch and please feel free to email me with anything you might have. Thanks again and please keep in touch … Frank
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Frank Hardy
August 29, 2012 at 8:49 am
FRANK, I DON’T HAVE YOUR E MAIL ADDRESS. MINE IS wiindylady02@yahoo.com. when i can email you i will post your my phone number.. by the way when i saw the pictured i reddily reconized him as the photographer who took my wedding pictures at the kingdom hall of jehovahs witnesses that was on scott street..on aug. 11th 1962. then he took some at bayview park of the reception. what a small world…. linda
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Linda Bryars Windham
August 29, 2012 at 11:02 pm
Thanks Linda … you can reach me through this site or through my other blog: FrankHardyPhotoBlog.com . Please do not hesitate to contact me. Frank
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Frank Hardy
August 30, 2012 at 9:03 am
The Dreamland Skating Rink was on Navy Blvd, not Pace Blvd. We walked from Warrington Jr. High School to the skating rink for P.E.
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R B Custer
August 19, 2012 at 5:20 pm
I stand corrected … Frank
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Frank Hardy
August 22, 2012 at 1:22 pm
Thanks for correcting that. I was practically raised in this rink until it burned down and then went to the one that replaced it which is now Landmark.
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Christy Langford
August 22, 2012 at 1:43 pm
I never knew it burned down … Thanks … Frank
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Frank Hardy
August 22, 2012 at 2:52 pm
This is the building in which I learned to skate holding on frantically to the rail. When I was in the sixth grade at P.K. Yonge Elementary School, I celebrated my birthday here with a skating party and invited my entire sixth grade class.
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Fransue (Sue) Baldwin McShane
August 19, 2012 at 2:01 pm
I can remember going to my share of skating parties growing up … Frank
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Frank Hardy
August 22, 2012 at 3:04 pm