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| Hub Roller Skating Rink Concession Stand before the Axle Remodeled. |
VIDEO
Music by Freddy Arnish, Organist at the Hub.
The skating had set "styles of skating" displayed on a lighted sign when the organ music would change tempos. Most of the time, the skating style was "All Skate." Some other skating styles were Couples Only, Waltz, Fox Trot, and a few fancy dances such as Collegiate and the 14-step.
A two-story office and the coat room separated the lobby from the rink. The only access to the rink area was through a large opening at the west end of the lobby.
People always remember Maurice Lenell when the Hub is brought up in conversations.
Maurice Lenell Cookie Co., 4510 North Harlem, Norridge, IL.
Axle Roller Rink, 4474 North Harlem Avenue, Norridge, IL.
The Axle locations were:
Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.
The Pro Skate Shop in the Axle Roller Rink in Niles, Illinois, in my case, gave me the first credit account I had when I was only 14 years old. I put down $60 on a great pair of professional men's roller skates, a special order. It had leather above the ankle boot, high-end wheels, hubs, trucks, and a jump bar to keep the trucks from breaking off under stress. I set the trucks so loosely that they would wobble when I lifted my foot and jiggled it. After about 6 weeks (approximately 15 skating sessions), the shoes were broken in, and I could wear thin socks without getting any blisters!
They were expensive, $175 ($630 today), but I skated there on weekends (2 or 3 times, including Sundays) for 5-6 years, so it paid off for me. Here's how it worked. Every time you went skating, you'd have to give the Pro Shop at least $5 and your shoes to store. After skating, you return the skates to the Pro Shop and provide them with the roller skates to keep until you return the next time. I never told my parents until the day I paid them off (in a little over a year) and brought them home.
During the Intermissions, the rink held age-related speed races. I won a lot! The winners would get a free pass for their following admission.
The Axle locations were:
- Countryside, IL: Route 66, just East of LaGrange Road. (Closed Mid-1978)
- Norridge, IL 4510 North Harlem. [Formerly: Hub Roller Skating Rink, Chicago]
- Niles, IL: Milwaukee Avenue just north of Golf Road (Closed August 8, 1984)
Compiled by Dr. Neil Gale, Ph.D.
Are any of these photos of the Countryside location?
ReplyDeleteNone of the photos presented are from the Axle Countryside location.
Deletethe one picture was taken by me that was the last day that the axle Hub roller rink was open my old station wagon is pictured in front of it. There doesn't seem to be a lot of pictures of the outside of the building.
DeleteThe Axle on Harlem used to have a video arcade in the front. I think it had a different name from the rink? They were one of the first to have the groundbreaking Laser Disc game, Dragon's Lair. Although the rink is gone, the building is actually still there. When it was all remodeled, they built a small "strip mall" in front on Harlem, but if you look at the sides, you can see the old structure behind.
ReplyDeleteNovelty Golf in Lincolnwood also had "Dragon's Lair" game just when it was released in 1983. I wasted a lot of quarters on it. LOL
DeleteHi Joe, the arcade (s) were called Wizard of Games, both Norridge and Niles had them.
DeleteThe rink was called "The Hub" before The Axle bought them. My husband & I had our very 1st date there....and many more after that! That was 45 yrs ago, and we are still skating!
DeleteI skated at the Hub a couple nights a week with Leon Berry at the keyboard. The girls used to dance in The lobby by the juke box. I tried last week to skate but at 83 years old l didn't do very well. But l loved the Hub in My youth!
DeleteThe Axle in Countryside became a Spiegel Outlet Store, sometime around 1984-1985, complete with the wood skating floors, groovy paint scheme and I even think they kept the paging system and phones from the roller rink. The music and paging was tied into an enormous 360 degree system of tens of speaker horns tied together. It was kind of a scary old place to shop with my parents as a kid. Good reuse of space! I think it closed around 1994 and then a Circuit City was built there which is now a Harley Davidson store.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you were a great rollerskater. Do you still rollerskate?
ReplyDeleteWowowow! I grew up at the Hub! My parents were Riverview junkies. I started skating when I could walk! I won the Halloween costume contest as the purple people eater at 5 years old!! 1960 Halloween party!!! What awesome memories! Thanks so much!!!
ReplyDeleteI was a guard at the Niles Axle back in the day.
ReplyDeleteAxle in countryside closed in mid june 1978. I know this because I graduated then and I had to find a new place to skate most of the time I went to norridge.
ReplyDeleteBack in my best roller skating days,(1980-1983) the Axles were my A-1 hangouts. I totally loved both the Niles and Norridge Axles, though if I had to pick just one of the two, I'd go with Norridge--I liked the "grip" the Norridge floor had compared to the slicker/faster floor at Niles and the girls there, come time to ask them to skate on couples only, were way easier to muster up the courage for--the suburban girls at Niles were a bit snobbish at times and more likely to say no compared to the northwest girls from Norwood Park, Oriole Park, and Edgebrook! Also, I remember the music played on Friday and Saturday nights at Norridge leaned heavier towards mainstream rock and Top-40, as opposed to the more disco-oriented music played at Niles. I can still hear the song DJ Snuffy would play to open every Saturday session at Norridge (Souvenirs by Voyage) as well as "Hot Hot Give It All You Got" by Debbie Jacobs played during the Jam. (Don't remember the name of the young woman who often DJ'ed on Fridays at Norridge who always played this) I remember they DJ'ed from the mezzanine that overlooked the floor in Norridge. Lot of great memories at the Axle. It's where I met my first girlfriend and prom date, a sweet Madonna HS girl. Man, those were such good times!
ReplyDeleteThe dj Tuesdays and Friday was Barb Walsh
DeleteI was going at that same time.
DeleteBack then I was a senior in high school. I went on Thursday nights for all the dances. I'm thinking about going skating again, hope I'm not too old now.
The title under the video of the session foxtrot mentions Leon Berry. That was NOT Leon playing the music in the video but Freddy Arnish!!!!!!!!!!
ReplyDeleteThank you Mr. or Ms. Unknown. I made the change.
DeleteI skated at The Hub from the mid 70's until it closed.
ReplyDeleteI knew Freddie Arnish's kids, who would hang out in the loft with the organ, and their Dad, who was used to me asking for specific songs...
I was there 7 days a week, and taught forward and backward stop for free passes.
The manager...Bill was a great guy who I'd help whenever I was needed.
The guards, Rich in particular was a sweetheart and I knew the Rizzo brothers who were students of my mom.
No other rink since has been as wonderful skate at... the new floors are like skating on black ice, and I can't risk the injury anymore!
Jeanne Templin Alter
I believe the Niles Hub/Axle on Milwaukee by Golf later became a Syms clothing store. Syms, in turn, closed its doors and the building currently houses a Salvation Army resale center. I often shopped at Syms and puzzled over an inclined ramp connecting two levels of the store, one slightly higher than the other. A coworker later informed me that it had once been a Hub, and the ramp made it easier for skaters to switch levels. I never was much of a skater, nor were my friends, but when we did go skating, it was always at the Norridge Hub as we could easily get there by bus. Not so with Niles. I grew up around Cicero and Diversey, so we’d hop on the Diversey bus west to the end of the line at Harlem, then catch the Harlem bus to Irving. I remember going there with some buddies right around Christmas in 1967. A Charlie Brown Christmas was being aired again that evening , snd we talked about it. Later went on a date there too with a very sweet girl back in my mid teens. Neither of us could skate much, but that wasn’t the point. Niles might as well have been out of state for us. I didn’t even know there had been a Hub In Niles. The Norridge Hub was practically next door to the Maurice Lennel cookie company, also on Harlem, which is now a restaurant/ale house. The reason I’m even on this site is that I rode my bike by what was the Norridge Hub lately, and got nostalgic. Fond memories to be sure!
ReplyDeleteThe Niles Axle never was named The Hub. It opened as the Axle. I was there for the opening.
DeleteWhen did the Axle Niles open?
DeleteThe Axle Roller Rink in Niles, Illinois opened on October 27, 1950.
DeleteNope, the Hub/Axle in Norridge opened in 1950. The Axle in Niles was later, but I don't know when.
DeleteDefinitely did not open in 1950!
DeleteThe first ad, introducting the Niles Axle was on Fri, Dec 14, 1973
DeleteGrand Opening was August 24. I have a photo with a banner saying it.
DeleteThe one thing I remember about the hub even when they closed is the snack bar used to serve Coke in the paper funnel cups that sat in the plastic holders.
ReplyDelete