Ice Rink at City Park

The property at 115 West Jefferson Street has always been a hotbed of city activity. It currently houses the Washington Police Department, but it used to be the home of City Hall and the Police Department combined. A trip behind the building will find any number of city vehicles and equipment. There is also an open grassy area behind the building, which isn’t currently being used for anything specific, but at one time, it was a very popular park in the town called “City Park.”

With the formation of the Washington Park District in 1968, the wheels started turning for ways to spice up the outdoor entertainment in town.  The park district had very little money, so the property behind City Hall was a way to develop a park without acquiring more property.  In late 1970 the city decided to construct an ice rink on the site, built by Cullinan Construction Company for just under $10,000.  The rink was ready that winter.

The first rink was very rudimentary, and after that first year, the city felt it necessary to improve the facility. For the winter of 1971, a new rink was constructed with a more solid foundation and lights. The open area was seeded with grass that year in anticipation of other seasonal activities at City Park.

Improvements continued in 1972 with the construction of a warming house for supervising parents or skaters who needed a break.  Local citizens donated their time to build the structure on the cheap.

Other improvements to the park were also made. A bridge was built over Farm Creek, and playground equipment was added. 

As early as 1975, the ice rink had been transformed into a dual-purpose facility. Tennis courts were installed for play during the warm months, and those courts were then frozen over for ice skating in the winter. A chain-link fence was added around the courts in 1976, partially to keep balls on the court and partially to keep people from getting on the ice before it had frozen solid.

The winter of 1978-79 was the last winter ice skating took place on the courts.  The winter of 1979-80 was too warm for the ice to stay frozen consistently, and the park district decided the skating was doing too much damage to the courts.

The other park features remained in place through the 1980s but did not receive much upkeep. In 1989, the park district built tennis courts at Washington Park to replace the courts behind City Hall, and City Park slowly faded from existence. The bridge, courts, and playground equipment were torn down, and now the area is strictly used for city maintenance vehicles.