The Roller Dome was built in 1950 by James (Jim) and Marjorie (Marg) Wall.
Marjorie and James met previously at Lincolndale Roller Rink, where James paid his friend a quarter to ask if Marjorie would skate with James. They were married three months later.
James was drafted into the Air Force in 1943, and when he returned from war, he and his wife decided to open a business. They wanted to be sure that if something happened to James, Marjorie could keep the business going.
They both settled on a business that had brought them together: a roller rink. They soon purchased land on Coliseum Boulevard, which at the time was called California Road. Their only neighbors were Don Hall's Hollywood Drive-In and a gas station, since they were five miles north of State Boulevard, the northern city limits boundary at the time.
The Roller Dome was wildly successful upon opening, and it was most popular in the 50s.
Over one thousand kids would show up daily for the all-day skates! Some parents dropped their kids off at 9am and picked them up at 5pm after work. All-night skates were also popular, with some folks skating from 7:30pm to 6am the next day.
About 20 years after the Roller Dome opened, the Wall family diversified their business and opened Wall Skate Supply Company, which provided roller skating and rink maintenance equipment. They continued to grow and built roller rinks throughout the Midwest and Florida.
James and Marjorie worked at the Roller Dome 24/7 over the years to make sure it was always successful, and Marjorie became somewhat of a local celebrity because of her daily presence at the rink.
The couple had been married 56 years when James Wall passed away in 1993. With the help of her children, Marjorie continued to run the rink. She passed away in 2015 after running the Roller Dome for 65 years. Marjorie once said in an interview, "The rink is my home... the rink means my life."
Today the Roller Dome is up for sale. If you are interested in purchasing a piece of Fort Wayne history follow the link below for details.
We would like to give a special shout-out to Kendall Stevens and Amy Schuldt of Sturges Property Group for the photography and copy in this article. If you enjoyed reading this article check back every month to see what new historical property Sturges Property Group has to share.
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