Aquarius Roll-A-Rena 8970 La Mesa Blvd, La Mesa CA. Noticed the Segmental Arch building right by the road? Too close! Right next door to the iconic Roundhouse of Value. That is too bad the dealer torn it down. Source: Facebook group.
Aquarius Roll-A-Rena 8970 La Mesa Blvd, La Mesa CA. Noticed the Segmental Arch building right by the road? Too close! This is a close up of the same picture. That is too bad the dealer torn it down. You can see real tall pillars. Those were bridge exchange ramp for turning. It was quite close to the rink as you can see. Source: Facebook group - I used to skate at Aquarius Roll-A-Rena in La Mesa.
Aquarius Roll-A-Rena 8970 La Mesa Blvd, La Mesa CA. Skaters got their tickets like this one. Is that the winner's ticket? Hehehe. Source: Facebook group - I used to skate at Aquarius Roll-A-Rena in La Mesa.
Aquarius Roll-A-Rena 8970 La Mesa Blvd, La Mesa CA. Sorry this is pretty dark picture. Lights were clearly on but the camera lacked light exposure. Source: Facebook group - I used to skate at Aquarius Roll-A-Rena in La Mesa.
Aquarius Roll-A-Rena 8970 La Mesa Blvd, La Mesa CA. Beautiful upgrade.. Very 1970s-80s feel. Video taken from likely VHS. Source: Clip video still from YouTube.
Aquarius Roll-A-Rena 8970 La Mesa Blvd, La Mesa CA. Beautiful upgrade. Notice the double Starburst lights. And a supersized TV screen. Source: Facebook group - I used to skate at Aquarius Roll-A-Rena in La Mesa.
Aquarius Roll-A-Rena 8970 La Mesa Blvd, La Mesa CA. The end. Source: Facebook group - I used to skate at Aquarius Roll-A-Rena in La Mesa.
Aquarius Roll-A-Rena 9550 Miramar Road, La Mesa CA. Source: YouTube/Ken Kramer (
Suzanne Bartole)
Suzanne Bartole)
Aquarius Roll-A-Rena 9550 Miramar Road, La Mesa CA. Source: YouTube/KPBS Public Media.
Aquarius Roll-A-Rena 9550 Miramar Road, La Mesa CA
Aquarius Roll-A-Rena 9550 Miramar Road, La Mesa California was once a beloved beautiful rink. It was opened on Saturday 30 January of a year I do not know because I could not find anything but a flyer seen on Youtube said that date but no year. Strange. That flyer appeared to be late 1970s. It was once a grocery store before that and that arch was very common in Mid-Century for grocery stores. For example, Safeway often had many Segmental Arch buildings for their grocery stores with seven pillars dividing their full name, S-A-F-E-W-A-Y, Safeway. It could have been that but I do not see any sources unless you can tell me what store it was.
It sat next to an iconic dealership with a rounded building with stakes like which made the place very Googie-like. It was called Roundhouse of Values. Both should have been kept and repaired. Oh well.
Al Strunk owned and operated this rink. Why do I hear that name before. I believe he owned a few other rinks elsewhere other than just in California.
There was much storied about the rink being closed and demolished but more focused was the rink by the iconic dealership with Mid-Century design that would be close to qualified as Googie Architecture. Unfortunately, like many dealers, not care for that. It was demolished. Both the rink and the dealer both demolished. Both had that Mid-Century look. California is famous for that architecture feature. California was "the in" state for Americans in Mid-Century (1940s to 1965). Same tale goes for Wildwood, NJ and a little bit in Florida but not much. Diners with rail car look alumnium belongs to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and downstate NY which were the "in" states for Americans during 1920s and 30s. The "in" State today would be maybe Texas and Florida since 1995 on.
Anyway! Back to the rink. It is pretty much blurred not be able to get information about this rink's beginnings. Anyone?
Some articles I could not access unless I am a paid subscriber which is a no-no in our policy. This is a Free-country and news should be free, not paid. Dead-Rinks do not accept articles that requires you to pay for subscriptions. It is just bad. Really.
But thanks to Google.. I was able to read that the rink closed in 1996. Being next door to the iconic dealership with the famed Roundhouse of Values. Hey Googie Fans, where were you?! Should have saved that one! Nice going Googie fans!
We need to save roller rinks too! A few I believe should have been saved. One was truly a landmark but some teens burned it down. It was very unique rink. Burned in 2021. So, Rinks should have been saved especially if it has segmental arch roof, or in an arena that are large and can fit an auditorium in it.
The Oaks should be the landmark rink which is still operational but it is all wood.. risky.
So, this Segmental Arched roller rink in La Mesa had 32,000 Square Feet for the entire building and had 17,000 Square Feet rink. This consider massive by rink standards. Seeing on YouTube video, it showed it was massive.
Skating rink staff wore Royal Blue Tuxedo look uniform. No jacket but a vest with Black lapel, Black bowtie, and White shirt, long sleeved. it was said to be an advanced roller rink at the time.
Anything else you want to add or fill in the stats, please let us know. Thank you.
By the way, the rink closed in 1996 due to the losing the lease to the Ford dealership which is very close next door to the rink and they wanted the rink demolished to give more room for their automobiles. 1990s to 2010s, most dealers would quickly buy more cars than they sell for as manufacturers demand dealerships to increase the number of purchases from the makers to meet quota annually. This is common also in snowmobiles too because I love snowmobiling as well. But now with post COVID world, it is reducing.
UPDATE! -- 19 July 2022.
I received an email from a Steve regarding to this rink with more information and corrections. Here is what he has to say.
La Mesa Aquarius opened 1975.
The address was 8970 La Mesa Blvd. It was not on Miramar Rd. That was the Second Aquarius he opened in the late 80’s.
The La Mesa Rink was an Alpha Beta Grocery store before is was a rink.
The floor was a floating floor of ply wood covered with the Light Blue Urethane. It was not directly on the Concrete. Aquarius closed once a year for one week to put a fresh coat on the floor and paint walls and replace carpet.
Aquarius closed due to losing it’s lease because the new owners of the Ford dealer ship wanted the land back for their cars.
Steve
Thanks Steve! This email brings more questions! So, there was a second rink. Hmm. Another rink to add to the exciting growing list list for California. Anything more about that rink, Steve?
The Interior.
It was massive rink with 32,000 Square Feet with 17,000 Square feet roller rink floor that was Sky Blue Urethane coated Plywood floor.
The Exterior.
The exterior was Segmental Arch building but the interior photo showed it appeared to be like a Quonset Hut. However, that was different in the video. Bit confusion.
The Stats:
Rink Size: 17,000 SF Floor: Sky Blue painted Urethane coated Plywood. Floor Layout: Plywood.
Building Size: 32,000 SF. Built: N/A. Renovations: N/A. Demolished: 1996 Demolished.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Steel - Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Segmental Arch. (interior photo appeared to be Quonset Hut but exterior showed Segmental Arch).
Acres: N/A.
Organ: N/A.
Operated: (Overall)-- Saturday, 30 January 1975 to 1996.
Reason for Closure: Losing its lease since the Ford dealership needed more room for their expanding numbers of cars.
Wanted: Information regarding well, got them all. Also photos/articles. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at [email protected]. Thank you. You can also use this form.
Sources:
Facebook - I used to skate at Aquarius Roll-A-Rena in La Mesa
Pinterest - near demolished
Google Map - see all car dealership lot now.
Worth to visit:
None. Highway runs over it.
Date of issue: 09 March 2022.
Updated: 19 July 2022.
For office use only: 7/2.
Worth to visit:
None.
DISCLAIMER:
Dead-Rinks and Mark Falso are not responsible for your physical and legal injuries you may have caused. We do not endorse such illegal activities including breaking and entry of former rinks, malls, abandoned buildings, etc. Please always obey laws and regulations and property owner's signs. Some states allow purple paint on fence which means they even have guns on their property and have rights to shoot you. Please DO NOT attempt to enter property without permission!
For abandoned rinks, after you receive permission, do WEAR safety OSHA equipment including a safety glasses, pair of safety gloves, an orange vest or a jacket, and a construction helmet.
Thank you for understanding.
Second of all: The contents including words and photos above on this page and/or on any pages are purely educational entertainment purposes only. I provide what information from other websites, skaters, and operators and it may end up with different results between two (or more) sources. It is not our responsible for errors we caused. All sources are shown on each page. All opinions and statements of mine are also stated and are for purely educational entertainment only.
Rinks that are closed are considered dead. Rinks that are/were sold and with new management names new name(s), the former are considered dead. Previous operating rink that closed but came back years later, are considered dead because the reopening is considered rebooted, nothing to do with the former.
As for “For Office Only” is for my reasoning and private legal reason for that.
All photos you submitted or we retrieved becomes property of Dead-Rinks and are watermarked but they are credited to you (or where the source is from). Thank you for understanding. To understand more about this, please go to this page: Dead-Rinks List.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks, an International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 to 16. Deut. 32:7.
It sat next to an iconic dealership with a rounded building with stakes like which made the place very Googie-like. It was called Roundhouse of Values. Both should have been kept and repaired. Oh well.
Al Strunk owned and operated this rink. Why do I hear that name before. I believe he owned a few other rinks elsewhere other than just in California.
There was much storied about the rink being closed and demolished but more focused was the rink by the iconic dealership with Mid-Century design that would be close to qualified as Googie Architecture. Unfortunately, like many dealers, not care for that. It was demolished. Both the rink and the dealer both demolished. Both had that Mid-Century look. California is famous for that architecture feature. California was "the in" state for Americans in Mid-Century (1940s to 1965). Same tale goes for Wildwood, NJ and a little bit in Florida but not much. Diners with rail car look alumnium belongs to New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and downstate NY which were the "in" states for Americans during 1920s and 30s. The "in" State today would be maybe Texas and Florida since 1995 on.
Anyway! Back to the rink. It is pretty much blurred not be able to get information about this rink's beginnings. Anyone?
Some articles I could not access unless I am a paid subscriber which is a no-no in our policy. This is a Free-country and news should be free, not paid. Dead-Rinks do not accept articles that requires you to pay for subscriptions. It is just bad. Really.
But thanks to Google.. I was able to read that the rink closed in 1996. Being next door to the iconic dealership with the famed Roundhouse of Values. Hey Googie Fans, where were you?! Should have saved that one! Nice going Googie fans!
We need to save roller rinks too! A few I believe should have been saved. One was truly a landmark but some teens burned it down. It was very unique rink. Burned in 2021. So, Rinks should have been saved especially if it has segmental arch roof, or in an arena that are large and can fit an auditorium in it.
The Oaks should be the landmark rink which is still operational but it is all wood.. risky.
So, this Segmental Arched roller rink in La Mesa had 32,000 Square Feet for the entire building and had 17,000 Square Feet rink. This consider massive by rink standards. Seeing on YouTube video, it showed it was massive.
Skating rink staff wore Royal Blue Tuxedo look uniform. No jacket but a vest with Black lapel, Black bowtie, and White shirt, long sleeved. it was said to be an advanced roller rink at the time.
Anything else you want to add or fill in the stats, please let us know. Thank you.
By the way, the rink closed in 1996 due to the losing the lease to the Ford dealership which is very close next door to the rink and they wanted the rink demolished to give more room for their automobiles. 1990s to 2010s, most dealers would quickly buy more cars than they sell for as manufacturers demand dealerships to increase the number of purchases from the makers to meet quota annually. This is common also in snowmobiles too because I love snowmobiling as well. But now with post COVID world, it is reducing.
UPDATE! -- 19 July 2022.
I received an email from a Steve regarding to this rink with more information and corrections. Here is what he has to say.
La Mesa Aquarius opened 1975.
The address was 8970 La Mesa Blvd. It was not on Miramar Rd. That was the Second Aquarius he opened in the late 80’s.
The La Mesa Rink was an Alpha Beta Grocery store before is was a rink.
The floor was a floating floor of ply wood covered with the Light Blue Urethane. It was not directly on the Concrete. Aquarius closed once a year for one week to put a fresh coat on the floor and paint walls and replace carpet.
Aquarius closed due to losing it’s lease because the new owners of the Ford dealer ship wanted the land back for their cars.
Steve
Thanks Steve! This email brings more questions! So, there was a second rink. Hmm. Another rink to add to the exciting growing list list for California. Anything more about that rink, Steve?
The Interior.
It was massive rink with 32,000 Square Feet with 17,000 Square feet roller rink floor that was Sky Blue Urethane coated Plywood floor.
The Exterior.
The exterior was Segmental Arch building but the interior photo showed it appeared to be like a Quonset Hut. However, that was different in the video. Bit confusion.
The Stats:
Rink Size: 17,000 SF Floor: Sky Blue painted Urethane coated Plywood. Floor Layout: Plywood.
Building Size: 32,000 SF. Built: N/A. Renovations: N/A. Demolished: 1996 Demolished.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Steel - Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Segmental Arch. (interior photo appeared to be Quonset Hut but exterior showed Segmental Arch).
Acres: N/A.
Organ: N/A.
Operated: (Overall)-- Saturday, 30 January 1975 to 1996.
Reason for Closure: Losing its lease since the Ford dealership needed more room for their expanding numbers of cars.
Wanted: Information regarding well, got them all. Also photos/articles. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at [email protected]. Thank you. You can also use this form.
Sources:
Facebook - I used to skate at Aquarius Roll-A-Rena in La Mesa
Pinterest - near demolished
Google Map - see all car dealership lot now.
Worth to visit:
None. Highway runs over it.
Date of issue: 09 March 2022.
Updated: 19 July 2022.
For office use only: 7/2.
Worth to visit:
None.
DISCLAIMER:
Dead-Rinks and Mark Falso are not responsible for your physical and legal injuries you may have caused. We do not endorse such illegal activities including breaking and entry of former rinks, malls, abandoned buildings, etc. Please always obey laws and regulations and property owner's signs. Some states allow purple paint on fence which means they even have guns on their property and have rights to shoot you. Please DO NOT attempt to enter property without permission!
For abandoned rinks, after you receive permission, do WEAR safety OSHA equipment including a safety glasses, pair of safety gloves, an orange vest or a jacket, and a construction helmet.
Thank you for understanding.
Second of all: The contents including words and photos above on this page and/or on any pages are purely educational entertainment purposes only. I provide what information from other websites, skaters, and operators and it may end up with different results between two (or more) sources. It is not our responsible for errors we caused. All sources are shown on each page. All opinions and statements of mine are also stated and are for purely educational entertainment only.
Rinks that are closed are considered dead. Rinks that are/were sold and with new management names new name(s), the former are considered dead. Previous operating rink that closed but came back years later, are considered dead because the reopening is considered rebooted, nothing to do with the former.
As for “For Office Only” is for my reasoning and private legal reason for that.
All photos you submitted or we retrieved becomes property of Dead-Rinks and are watermarked but they are credited to you (or where the source is from). Thank you for understanding. To understand more about this, please go to this page: Dead-Rinks List.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks, an International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 to 16. Deut. 32:7.