email: roadarch@outlook.com

Skating Signs

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The photos on this page were moved here from my Signs section to accompany an article I wrote for the Society for Commercial Archeology's Journal magazine.

Skateland
Memphis, TN
2007 and 2008: 2019:
Railgarten
2019:
Skateland opened in 1955. In 1963, this roller rink moved across the street to a smaller location. The rink's neon signs were reinstalled on the new building. The letters spelling out "Skateland" originally arched over the original location's curved roof. A slight bend can still be detected in the metal scaffolding that supports the letters. Each letter is about four feet tall. The full line of text runs about 32 feet in length. The skate above the letters is about thirteen feet tall. Its neon wheels were animated to create the illusion of spinning.

Skateland's "Roller Skate for Health" sign had also been installed on the front of the original building. When the business moved, this sign was tucked away on the side of the new building where it was visible from Sam Cooper Boulevard. There were two slightly smaller neon skates displayed on the front of the original building as well. In 2008, one was still on display (photo on right above). By 2011, both skates were gone.

Skateland closed in 2006 after a devastating fire. In 2007, County Glass moved into the building and chose to keep the rink's sign above the entrance. The sign's neon had stopped operating long before the fire. There are no plans to restore it. The "Roller Skate for Health" sign from the side of the building was removed around 2016 and is now displayed above the outdoor stage at the Railgarten Diner. The original light-up board that displayed messages such as "Couples Skate" and "All Skate" is still on display inside the building. The rink's hardwood boards were removed and recycled into floors, end tables, and kitchen tables around Memphis. For more, see this website. [map]

Skate America Fun Center
Texarkana, TX		 Starlite Skate Center
Sapulpa, OK
The Skate America Fun Center opened in 1983. This sign may be from then. It also might have been brought from somewhere else or it might have been installed for a skating rink with a different name on the property. The sign is about five feet tall and is installed on top of a billboard type sign. In 2016, the skating center moved to a new location where it closed just a few weeks later. By 2017, the text panel had been replaced with a sign reading "Flea Market." The neon skate remains above it. [map]

The Starlite Skate Center opened in 1951. The rink closed around 2002. It reopened in 2011 as the Route 66 Roller Dome. [map]

Great Lakes Skate Center [gone]
Ypsilanti, MI		 Santa Cruz Roller Palladium
Santa Cruz, CA		 Star Skate
Norman, OK
The Great Lakes Skate Center burned down in early 2007. The building has been demolished and I believe this sign is gone now. It apparently had neon at one time. For more, see this website. [2007 photo thanks Mark Comstock]

The Santa Cruz Roller Palladium opened in 1950. This sign might be from then. [map]

Star Skate opened in 1964 as Skateland 2020. The name and sign were changed sometime after 2008. Star Skate closed in 2021. The sign is still there but the panels are gone. For more, see this website. [map]

Skate Inn [gone]
Tallahassee, FL		 Foothill Skate Inn
Sacramento, CA		 Skate Island [gone]
Grand Island, NE
The Skate Inn opened in 1973 and this sign was from then. The place closed in 2017 and the sign was removed.

The Foothill Skate Inn opened in 1973. The original sign was painted plywood. The plastic panels on this sign were replaced in 2007. This photo is from 2014. [map]

Skate Island opened in 1966. This twenty-foot-tall rooftop sign was there from the beginning. Originally, the giant skate revolved. However, high winds kept stripping the motor's contacts. This led to the sign's conversion into a weathervane. A tail was added to back of the skate at that time. At some point, the skate had a pom-pom or two. In 2010, the sign was completely refurbished for about $11,000. These photos are from 2012. The original frame was used while the sign's acrylic panels were replaced with more durable flex face. Although the skate was stationary, the weathervane tail was retained. The skate was lit from inside and its undercarriage was lit with blue neon. The wheels convincingly spun with white bulbs. In 2021, the roof collapsed. The building was demolished in 2022. I don't know if the sign was saved.

Nampa Rollerdrome
Nampa, ID
The Nampa Rollerdrome opened in 1948. This sign and the entrance appear to be from the 1960s. The sign was repainted sometime after 2009. For more, see this website. [map]

Broadway Skateland
Mesquite, TX		 Rollercade
San Antonio, TX		 Skateland [gone]
Tulsa, OK
Broadway Skateland opened in 1961. This sign must be from then. [map]

The Rollercade opened as the Northporte Rollercade in 1959. This sign is from then. The name was shortened in 1984. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

I believe Skateland opened in 1968. This sign appeared to be from then. Skateland closed in 2021. The sign is now on display at the Stokely Event Center.

Skateland
Trinidad, CO
Skateland opened in 1949 and this sign appears to be from then. For more, see this website. [map]

Skateland
Bakersfield, CA

2012:
2017:
Skateland opened in 1955. This rooftop sign had neon until around 1960. The tubing was removed after it was damaged by vandals. The sign's skaters were modeled after an unidentified couple from a photograph submitted to the sign shop. The sign is about 29 feet long and skaters are about eleven feet tall. It has been repainted about four times in the original colors. Around 2000, the woman's roller skates were painted as roller blades. In 2015, the sign was repainted and the woman was wearing roller skates again. The new owner is thinking about restoring the neon on the sign. For more, see this website. [map]

Rolla Rena Skate Center
Pratt, KS
The Rolla Rena Skate Center was built in 1945 as another skating center, possibly Skateland. The building was drastically remodeled later on. It became the Rolla Rena in 1988. The neon pole sign was installed on the side of the building at another skating rink in Great Bend, KS. It might be from the 1950s and was installed at Rolla Rena on poles so that it could be seen from the highway. The plastic sign also came from Great Bend and was built in the 1980s. [map]

Jack's Skateland
Fort Smith, AR		 Carousel Skate
Sioux Falls, SD
Jack's Skateland opened here in 1962. The text on the sign originally read "Roller Skating" and might have had neon. The star may have been produced by Standard Neon Supply. [map]

Carousel Skate opened in 1974. This sign is believed to be from then. In 2015, the skating rink became part of the Skate City chain. Some of the sign's neon tubing was fixed then. [map]

Rocket Skating Palace
Dallas, TX		 Deleta Skating & Family Fun Center
Pocatello, ID
The Rocket Skating Palace is gone but this sign remains. The space is now known as the Rocket Event Center. For more, see this website. [map]

The Deleta Ballroom was established in 1941 in Montpelier, Idaho. In 1945, the owner disassembled the building and rebuilt it in Pocatello, Idaho. The name came from combining the owners' names: Del and Leta Holland. The business featured dancing on weekends and skating during the week. It remained a skating rink into the early 1950s. The building later housed a variety of businesses including a bar, a grocery store and an army surplus store. Around 1972, the place became a skating rink once again. This sign is presumed to be from then. The female skater's bell-bottom pants and flip hair style is typical of the time. The business is now known as the Deleta Skating & Family Fun Center. "Deleta" is lit with red neon. [map]

Skateland
Twin Falls, ID		 Red Wing Rollerway
Augusta, GA		 Pendleton Skate City
Pendleton, OR		 Centralia
Rollerdrome
Centralia, WA
Skateland opened in 1956. This sign is probably from the 1960s. [map]

The Red Wing Rollerway opened in 1974 and this sign appears to be from then. It closed in 2024 and the property has been sold to a car dealership. This sign will likely be removed. [map]

Pendleton Skate City was previously known as Skate N Fun. This sign appears to be from the 1960s. For more, see this website. [map]

The Centralia Rollerdrome opened in 1904. This sign is probably from the 1940s or 1950s. For more, see this website. [map]

Culver Ice Arena
Culver City, CA
2013: 2018:
The Culver Ice Arena opened in 1962 and this sign was built then. It was originally known as the Culver City Ice Rink. This steel and backlit plastic sign was about 60 feet tall. There was also an ice skater statue here. In 2014, the Culver Ice Arena closed. The building and sign had been declared landmarks. The building was adapted for a Harbor Freight store in 2016. The sign and skater were gone by 2017. By 2018, the sign was back. The sign panels were replicated. The message board was replaced with a panel for Harbor Freight. The location of the skater is unknown. For more, see these websites: 1 and 2. [map]

Ontario Ice Skating Center
Ontario, CA
The Ontario Ice Skating Center was built in 1957 as the Ice Bowl. This sign is probably from then. [map]

Giant Skates

More Skating Signs:
Valle Vista Skating Center: 1, 2 (Hayward, CA) [gone]
Skateland (Whittier, CA) [gone]
Idyl Wyld Roller Palace (Marion, IN) [gone]
Paradise Roller Rink (Vincennes, IN) [map]
Circus Skate (Murray, KY)
unidentified skating rink (Farmington, NM) [gone?]
Tommy's Roller Rink (Las Cruces, NM)
Rocket Skating Club (Oklahoma City, OK) [gone]
Tennessee Valley Skate Center (Knoxville, TN) [gone]
Rivergate Skate Center (Madison, TN)
Governor's Skating Rink (Powell, TN) [gone]
unidentified skating rink (Lubbock, TX) [gone?]
Dream Roller Rink (New Church, VA) [gone]
Harborena: 1, 2 (Seattle, WA)

All Skate! Flickr Group (vintage skating signs)

Main SCA Article
Companion Page		 Main Signs Page