CLEVELAND SKATING CLUB - The Encyclopedia of Cleveland History

The CLEVELAND SKATING CLUB, 2500 Kemper Rd., SHAKER HEIGHTS, was one of the first figure-skating clubs in the U.S. to own its own club building. Founded in 1936 by a group of families who wanted their own private indoor skating rink, the club acquired the property, clubhouse, and other facilities of the Cleveland Tennis & Racquet Club at Fairhill and Kemper Rds. It subsequently acquired icemaking equipment that had been used in downtown Cleveland during the 1936 GREAT LAKES EXPOSITION. Indoor skating and indoor tennis began the winter of 1936-37, and in 1938 single membership included both activities. The building for the rink was built alongside the old tennis clubhouse, with the space between the buildings enclosed to provide a viewing and dining area overlooking the rink. The club offers a full schedule of classes and lessons to its members. Several Olympic gold medalists and world champions began their skating careers at the CSC, including Carol Heiss, Hayes Alan Jenkins, David Jenkins, and Wm. Fauver. The club also hosts an annual ice show that benefits the Memorial Fund of the U.S. Figure Skating Assn., which provides scholarships to young skaters. In 1970 the adjacent armory and grounds of the Natl. Guard (see TROOP A) were acquired, thus enabling members and guests to participate in an expanded variety of programs and activities, including year-round skating, ballroom dancing on ice, hockey, squash, and curling, as well as year-round tennis, paddle tennis, and swimming.

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