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"Arlington Beach." Circa 1925, the dance pavilion at the amusement park across the Potomac from Washington. National Photo glass negative. View full size.
I like the banners of all the lodges surrounding the ceiling.
An interesting structure for sure, requiring a lot of skilled labor to piece together all those angle joints.
It appears this was lit with a series of small bulbs running up the underside of each truss. Probably gave a nice atmosphere but I wonder how they got up there to replace them which must have had to be done often.
Does this structure still exist?
[Torn down in 1929. - Dave]
Ah, yes, good old Walled Lake:
See it larger here.
Once again, you have revealed a gem from the past. I marvel at all the man hours and wood that went into the construction of this big ol' barn. I can't help but wonder how the music sounded as it bounced off this cavernous structure with dancers on deck. I believe Brunelleschi himself would appreciate this dome.
Washington Post, May 23, 1925Arlington Beach, Many Attractions Added,
Opens TodayBathing Facilities Enlarged;
Dance Pavilion to Accommodate 1,000With many added attractions, Arlington beach, Washington's only bathing beach, located at the south end of the Highway bridge, will be opened today. With the Tidal basin closed, the bathing at the beach will be one of the leading attractions, and realizing this the management has announced that 2,500 new bathing suits, 4,000 new steel lockers and several shower baths have been added.
The beach this year will be operated under the management of Jesse Thomas and Lloyd Schafffer. Mr. Thomas said no expense has been spared to make the park one of the leading amusement places of Washington this year.
The leading Washington orchestra will furnish music for dancing in the pavilion, which will accommodate more than 1,000 persons. While the roller coaster will not be ready for the opening, work is being rushed, and it will be completed in a few days.
Mr. Thomas said that the management this year will specialize in making Arlington beach a family resort and a place for all-day outings for clubs, schools, lodges and church societies. Ample room has been provided for parking.
the carpentry/framing skills required to build something like this.With all the odd angles and radial trusses,must of been quite a challenge, even for true craftsmen.
What memories. I think there were dance pavilions up to WW2. We would drive out from Detroit to Walled Lake with its dance pavilion and really enjoy the dancing. This was the summer of '41 before Pearl Harbor and it has not been the same since.
those mirrored balls are still available for $34.99 at the party store. And I thought that we psychedelic hippies invented them.
And here I thought Disco balls dated from the Disco era. I wonder if that ball actually managed to survive into the Disco era, somehow.
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