Arnold's Park Roof Garden comes down and will return in classic style
Soon after the flickering lights grew dim and the roaring track of the Legend rollercoaster fell silent, a different noise was heard on the grounds of Arnolds Park Amusement Park. Historic Arnolds Park Inc. CEO Jeff Vierkant said internal demolition of the Roof Garden began just after Labor Day. Demolition crews broke through the exterior walls soon after, and passersby on Lake Street could see the Legend's supports beyond a large heap of wood, insulation and other material which was piled on the fenced-off sidewalk in front of the former dance hall.
The demolition of the current Roof Garden will give way to construction of a new, refurbished venue. The project was planned for in the latter phases of the "Restore the Park" campaign, which HAPI announced in May of 2017.
"This is phase three of our campaign — the final stage — which will include the Roof Garden and lakefront beautification," Vierkant said.
The CEO said no materials from the demolition are expected to be repurposed in the construction to come. However, the planned Roof Garden is meant to be a return to the classic styles of the venue's heyday and won't be without plenty of nostalgia.
"When we build the new Roof Garden, we'll be bringing in some historical pieces, which might be memorabilia or artifacts that relate to the original Roof Garden," Vierkant said.
A committee is currently working on finding and securing features to be included when the new Roof Garden opens its doors. Vierkant said the construction will hopefully be complete by mid-summer.
Most of the retail shops along Lake Street switched off their welcome signs soon after the park closed its gates for the season. Many of the retail windows were dim — some blocked by chairs stacked on tables. The windows of ice cream parlor and coffeehouse Daily Addiction were one of the few still illuminated Thursday. Owner Tammy Frederick said she has heard plenty of positive comments about the park's campaign from her customers.
"They came down even before it was done just to look at the changes," Frederick said, noting construction didn't always make it easy for people to get a good look.
Don Moore of Spencer stopped to watch the demolition progress for a bit with his family Thursday afternoon. The trio sat a spell as the crews motored a backhoe into place and pulled the wooden remains of an entryway to the concrete floor. Moore's daughter recalled attending the Roof Garden in her younger days, though she said it wasn't on the first floor at that time.
With something between wonder and nostalgia, Moore and his family moved on after watching some of the last few pieces of plywood fall.
"It'll be interesting to have a new Roof Garden," Moore said.
Similarly, Frederick is glad the changes are on track across the street. She will lock the doors of Daily Addiction for the season come the end of the month and will open again before the new Roof Garden is likely to be complete. She expects the rebuilt and refurbished piece of local Americana will be good for business.
"I think it's all good," Frederick said. "It's been good this year, and it can only make it better. I'm excited for it."
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