Do the roads around Cleveland feel like an ice rink these days? The city actually had one of those right on the corner of E. 107th Street and Euclid Avenue in University Circle.
The Elysium opened in 1907 as "the largest artificial ice skating plant in the world."
Conceived by Dudley Humphrey of Euclid Beach Park fame, the rink was a popular place of leisure during the cold winter months. It was home to the Cleveland Falcons hockey team (later the Cleveland Barons) and also hosted figure skating competitions. But not everyone was welcome.
In 1939, two civil rights lawsuits were filed against the owners after Black patrons were refused entry.
The Elysium closed two years later and was eventually demolished, with part of the land used to widen Chester Avenue.
