For the three months the Crystal Carnival entertained more than 250,000 visitors until an early thaw in mid-March. The winter of 1895 and 1896 was the grandest Leadville had ever known. The visitors said that when the sun shone through the ice, it looked like 1,000 sparkling lights.

Finally, the Ice Palace began to melt and the building was condemned on March 28, though skaters continued to skate on the ice rink until June. It remained standing for some time after that, as 5,000 ton of ice takes a while to melt. The last formal event in the ice palace was a maypole skating party on May Day. The ice was in excellent shape, and a large crowd of ladies and gentlemen spent an evening skating instead of dancing around the maypole.
 
Despite special trains filled with visitors, the Ice Palace was a financial disaster for its investors, so they abandoned plans to build one each winter. 

The Ice Palace stands now only in photographs, paintings, models and history.

ICE PALACE FACTS

•   An estimated 5,000 tons of ice was used.

•   The site was cleared partly by dynamite.

•   In 1895, when Leadville committed to building an ice palace to attract tourists, there were 83 saloons and three banks for 14,477 residents - down from more than 40,000 before the economic collapse of 1893.

•   Carpenters, bricklayers and stonemasons were paid $20 to $30 a week.

•   After ice blocks were hoisted into place, they were covered with boiling water, which froze faster than cold water. The excess water that ran to the ground added strength to the walls when it froze.

•   Admission was 50 cents for adults and 25 cents for children 12 and under

•   The last formal event in the ice palace was a maypole skating party on May Day. The ice was in excellent shape, and a large crowd of ladies and gentlemen spent an evening skating instead of dancing around the maypole, wreathed with beautiful flowers and trimmed in colorful ribbons.