Concrete Floor for Curlers

Detroit Free Press * November 4, 1909

Detroit Curling Club Plans to Lay One Before the First Frost Comes to Town.

Plans are being made by the Detroit Curling Club for the laying of a concrete floor in its clubhouse.  It will benefit the club and its members in two ways.  With a concrete floor it will enable the curlers to get under way with the first freezing weather, make possible more curling days, and do away with the necessity of waiting for the ice to build up.

The second reason is, when the curling season is over, it will make the club desirable as a roller rink, for which purpose it would be rented by the club, following the plan now in use by the Windsor Curling Club.

When this floor was installed they made ice by waiting for cold weather and then they opened the windows.  About 15 years later this floor was torn up and a new floor was installed that contained piping connected to a steam powered compressor for ice making – possibly the first compressor installed in a curling club in North America. 

 The above photo was taken about 1910.

(Ed. Note:  I have not yet found an article that indicates if The Club did rent the place out for roller skating.)