The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-10-31
LAST vEsT|GE OF OLD
|DLEWO0D TO Be REMOVED
City Will Open Streets Whore Horse
Show Building Now
Stands.
ONCE SCENE OF JOY UNCoNFINED
Moving Pictures on Every Corner
Take Place of Old Amusement
Parks-SOtice Served on Owners
to Remove Buildings at Once.

The trappings that made the Idle
wooS of old the playground of tho
cttEs night ltfe succumb one by one
to the demands Of West End develop
ment. Once the haunt of harmless
revelry and the abiding place OF 10.
cent amusement palaces. the resort.
has dwindled until only the blcachedl
skeleton Of the roller-coastcr. the giant
hulk of the Horse Show Building and
the hobby horses bobbing to the strains
of strident ragtime, remain to remind
one Of its former glory.
And now these are to go, too Yes
terday the Administrative iSoard exc
cuted the ultase calling upon the Vir-
ginia Railway and Power Company to
remove the Horse Show Building and
the other amusement devices. includ-
ing the merry-go-round and the to-
boggan slide. The city is going to
cut a street through the property, and
the amusement devices are in the
way.
BOARD WILL WIDEN
WALLACE AND DANCE STREETS
The president of the Virginia Rail-
way and Power Company, which owns
the leftover memeutoes of Idlcwoods
happy past is informed that the board
has advertised for bids for the grad
ing Of the recently dedicated property
on Wallace and Dance Streets. between
Meadow Street and Davis Avenue, in
l'order to widen these streets to uni
ioiih Miuln VI SGNeHtS lSel Inc
widening Will require the removal OF
the last remaining monuments OF the
pleasure park.
Young Richmonders of decade ago
VIII mark the passing of lakewood with
sigh. Time was when its board
walks and its tinseled palaces of fun
| resounded to joy unconfined. Young
matrons with tots pulling IT their
skirts and young men now serving a.
well-trained husbands will look bach
upon the ha!cyon days-halcyon is ap-
sors-.when lakewood. with It's mena-
gcrie. It's confetti, its spiders, and Its
lighted pleasure lanes. was a noisy
farmland and not memory,
II is the price of progress. Pleasure
parks arc not what they used to DC.
There has come the movie, which has
settled on every corner. and which
unpeels on a mirrowed screen the seven
wonders of the world and underworld
all for the price of carfare. The
age has lost Its zest for the shoot-the-
chute and scenic railway. and extracts
Its thrills from the cycle-car. Where
once the couple on pleasure bent in
vested 10 cents i'll car fare to journey
| two miles to pleasure park, the
couple of the same bent lease a table
at trottery, and between sips Of
lemonade and Oolong tea. fritter the
hours away in the tango and maxiXe.
Shed discreet tear for tho lakewood
that was. Ut was stately plea sure
dome to the youngsters Ola decade ago
1T has served its purpose, and It will
cease 10 he. The aXman will cut down
the skeleton of the roller coaster and
vandal hands will diEmantle the car
rouscl and the Horse Show Building, and
then there will, be born beautiful
wide avenue. The haunt OF the charla-
tan and Pierrot will become tho abode
Of responsibility. and only n fast fading
memory will remain to mark tho $40!
where once stood lakewood