DENVER (KDVR) — After Disneyland opened in California, Walt Disney was looking for another U.S. destination to host entertainment. He then set his sights on Colorado.
The Denver Public Library took a deep dive into what some locals may remember as Celebrity Sports Center, an indoor and outdoor amusement park in the Denver suburb of Glendale.
In 1960, Walt Disney and some other big-name investors opened up the park, initially called Celebrity Lanes. After expanding, the project cost $6 million, which is approximately $63 million today, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
During its time, the park was bustling with birthday parties, swimming lessons and professional bowling tournaments — but it only made it about 30 years before shutting down.
Celebrity Sports Center at its prime
In its heyday, the Celebrity Sports Center was equipped with an Olympic-sized pool, water slides, 80 lanes of bowling, a shooting gallery, 300 arcade games, several fine-dining restaurants and even a beauty salon.
-
MAR 31 1964, APR 1 1964; A large crowd of 2,000 fans watched the pro-am event Tuesday night at Celebrity Sports Center. The second an-¡nual Denver Open at the center opens Wednesday night; (Photo By Duane Howell/The Denver Post via Getty Images) -
MAR 20 1983, DEC 26 1985; Video Games; Fun Center At Celebrity Sports Centre; (Photo By Duane Howell/The Denver Post via Getty Images) -
FEB 13 1978, FEB 15 1978 Celebrity Sports Center Fan Power Credit: Denver Post (Denver Post via Getty Images) -
AUG 30 1961, AUG 31 1961, SP 23 1962 Boys plunging into Denver’s Celebrity Sports Center pool follow Disney’s sports ideas. They Go Overboard For Swimming Pool More than 500 boys took advantage Wednesday when managers of Celebrity Lanes’ Olympic-size swimming pool declared open house for city and suburban Denver Post carriers. The youngsters got wet again when late afternoon sbowers covered area, but the papers got delivered. Phil Wolff, 13, of 1055 Clermont St. gets unexpected assist into the water from Bob Harris, 13, of 1201 Fairfax St., as others wait their turn, from left, John Dougherty, 14, of 1260 Glencoe St.; Ken Coffey, 12, of 5650 E. Cornell Ave.; John, 14, and Jeff Palmer, 16, of 6181 S. Aberdeen St., and Mike Peacock, 14, of 421 Corona St. The boys’ enjoyment of the facilities showed their great appreciation. Credit: Denver Post (Denver Post via Getty Images, editorial)
The park was meant to be a chain with locations nationwide. Although, that never happened.
It wasn’t meeting financial expectations a year and a half following its grand opening, but the Disney Company kept up with the park even after Walt died in 1966. By the early 70s, the company shifted to Walt Disney World and sold Celebrity Sports.
The new management opened up some memorable features, like the multi-story waterslides, and brought in an average of a million visitors each year.
However, that still wasn’t enough.
The building started to attract dangerous behavior, including a shooting in the parking lot. It closed in June 1994 and was demolished about a year later.
Now, you’ll find a hub of chain stores in place of the park, like Staples and Whole Foods Market.
