In 1925, while working for Luse-Stevenson, Paul heard of a large indoor stadium to be erected at Paulina and Madison Streets in Chicago. This building was to incorporate corkboard as both the roof insulation and as insulation under the proposed artificial ice rink. This project was unique in the fact that in 1925 there were only three other artificial ice rinks in the world, and none came close in size to the proposed Chicago Stadium.
Paul searched out the architect to try and sell him on his company’s cork board. After Paul finished his sales pitch, the architect reached in his desk drawer and pulled out a 35 page, neatly-bound treatise and asked Paul, “Have you ever seen this before?” He had! He was looking at his graduation thesis on extended season ice rink design from the University of Illinois which the architect was using to help him build the stadium. Needless to say, Paul got the contract to furnish and install both the roof and rink insulation.
In 1995, the stadium was razed, and a remnant of the original cork used was salvaged and is displayed below. Some of the pictures below were taken by Paul himself while the project was under construction.
