Vintage Commercial for Denver’s Celebrity Sports Center
If you've lived in Colorado for many years, you've probably seen just how much it's changed. From booming new businesses to breweries and restaurants popping up left and right, the Centennial State has evolved immensely, even just in the last twenty to thirty years alone.
Coloradans of a certain age might remember the once-popular Celebrity Sports Center. Although the business is now bygone, this vintage commercial from the late 80s should be nostalgic for those who frequented the long-standing Denver hotspot.
Celebrity Sports Center first opened in 1960. It was designed to be both a recreation center and an indoor amusement park that provided entertainment to people all year round. According to the Denver Library, the legendary Walt Disney played a part in opening the Colorado amusement center and even gave an enthusiastic speech at the ground-breaking ceremony.
Some of the amenities at the center included an Olympic-sized pool, giant water slides, 80 lanes of bowling, a shooting gallery, ice cream parlor, bumper cars, 300 arcade games, midway-style games, and billiards. Many Colorado kids celebrated their birthdays or had parties at the hoppin' South Colorado Boulevard location. It also played host to swimming lessons and professional bowling tournaments for more than four decades.
While the commercial states that 'the fun never set at Celebrity Sports Center,' it ultimately did in June 1994 when years of decline led the facility to close its doors for good. A year later, the building was completely demolished to make room for newer businesses in the area.