Empire Skates East 3150 Eire Boulevard East, Dewitt, New York. Interior of Empire Skates in c. 1979. Can you find Mark? He is in the back of the picture showing only the back about to make a turn at the post. Dark curly hair, with teal and white shirt on just behind this tall girl in yellow shirt skating with a girl with all white clothing on. Source: both Mark Falso and I was a Empire Skates Rat fan page of Facebook.
Empire Skates East 3150 Eire Boulevard East, Dewitt, New York. This was Empire Skates location long before businesses were there including Paper Cutter, a drug store, an auto part store, and now, Charney's, and Liquor Square is located. Only remains is the name, "Empire" at Empire Plaza where the rink used to be. Nice of the owners to keep that legend name. The plaza was updated. the awing was at the time butterfly style. But the roof was flat. Source: Google.
Empire Skates East 3150 Eire Boulevard East, Dewitt, New York. Source: I was a Empire Skates Rat fan page of Facebook.
Empire Skates East 3150 Eire Boulevard East, Dewitt, New York. Source: I was a Empire Skates Rat fan page of Facebook.
Empire Skates East 3150 Eire Boulevard East, Dewitt, New York
Empire Skates East was part of two franchise chain in Central New York. The other was Empire Skates West in Baldwinsville, NY. Empire Skates East was located in the Empire Plaza on Erie Boulevard East in DeWitt, NY cross the street from DeWitt Drive-in Movie Theaters and the two Carrols owned theaters- Cinemas East and Mini-One.
It's location was properly set for the rink because of the immediate entertainment on that section of block on Erie Boulevard East. Theaters, skating rink, restaurants, a diner or two, Putt-Putt® miniature golf course behind the number 27th McDonald's with original Golden Arches salt-box architecture.
It was the main street for car cruising and the popularity of skating at the time. It was said to be open in 1973 but I am not sure. However, I first went there in March 1978. It was Friday 10 of March 1978 I went and it was crowded with long line that they were forced to open their emergency exit side door to open to allow more people in quicker. it took us to wait about 15 minutes to get in that door! They were not going to let me in because I would not skate and wanted to see what it is like. They said because of crowd, they only wanted skaters, no parents, no loitering, etc. But they made right decision to let me in which became my main skating rink for years till its demise in June 1983.
In comparison to the same month of March between 1978 and 1983 were largely difference. Wall to wall and forced to open emergency door on the side of front to admit in more skaters was the norm in March 1978 but in March 1983, I counted seven people skating including the singular floor guard in 1983. Big differences! Six customers skating! Because of that reason among with "over rinked" in Syracuse plus Syracuse population was shrinking ever since 1980 and never recovered. Syracuse had SIX rinks in a city population of 165,000 in 1980, 1983, before Empire Skates East closed, SEVEN rinks in declining city. Today Syracuse is 143 to 145,000 people and still declining. County population is unknown.
Empire Skates East was unusual because it had concrete floor instead of regularly wooden floor. The interior colors were mostly blues, and some greens. As you enter, the snack bar was on your right, and the DJ booth which was right next to the admission. It was also set up far from the rink. On the left while still facing the rink, several things-the bathrooms, the emergency exit, the party room, skate rental and in 1979 remodel, they had new game room and the lockers, then the back part was quite empty. No one was there. They had a platform in the right back corner if you were still standing from the entrance door made for bands but no bands played there at the time.
The seating area where the skate rental and to rest.. not the snack bar, they had what they are called, "high wire wheel 'spool'" and covered to match the carpet.
After Empire Skate East closed, Sports-O-Rama purchased some of those spools seating and disco lights that had rows of red light bulbs around. So, Empire Skates lived on as Sports-O-Rama till they had remodeled to raise the ceiling to accommodate basketball hoops and then after 2004, they removed the spool seating in favor for park bench style seating where lockers are. When they removed the spool seating, Empire Skates finally ceased completely.
The Interior.
This rink interior had columns and even run through the roller floor! Skaters do not like it but to some like myself who started to skate there. This was my first rink and I started without any of those "walkers" with wheels as people calls it. It is skate aid. Anyway, I skated column to column back and forth. That is what you see in the picture of me in background.
The floor was raised poured concrete in Sky Blue paint. It had sort of Navy Blue with slight Lime Green and White stripes on it.
They renovated in very end of 1979 to make room for an arcade. Previously there were not and were just lockers. But they added games in late 1979. About a dozen games there. High wire spools seating, and a snack bar to the right when you come in. When you come in, you pay admission which was on right side of you as you walk toward inside door, after that, you see DJ booth then you see snack bar behind it, rink ahead, rentals and locker to the left. Bathrooms toward front behind your left after you enter in the main place. Floor and seating carpets were both Dark Blue and Light Green colors. Perhaps that is the carpet they matched up to the rink wall paints and rails.
The Exterior.
When Empire Skates was around, the canopy that ran from one end to the other were Zig Zag 1950s theme roof but the plaza itself was flat with sight downgrade toward the back. There were no leaks during this period of the rink. Now it has hosted several stores since Empire Skates closed. Only remains was the name of the plaza, Empire Plaza properly named after the rink.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A Floor: Concrete, oiled Floor Layout: Standard
Building Size: N/A Built: N/A Demolished: Part of plaza, now different stores.
Type of Building: columns, shopping plaza Building.
Roof: Flat
Acres: N/A
Operated: N/A to June 1983
Reason for Closure: Losing patrons, fad, decline, and the City of Syracuse/CNY was losing residents.
Wanted: Information regarding pictures of exterior, more interior.
Sources:
Facebook
My own experience.
Worth to visit:
None. Just retail stores and there are no evidence for you to see it was Empire Skates.
Date of Issue: 25 December 2018 (first profile)
Update: 23 March 2022.
Update:
For Office Only: 4.
© 2019-2020 Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:16.
It's location was properly set for the rink because of the immediate entertainment on that section of block on Erie Boulevard East. Theaters, skating rink, restaurants, a diner or two, Putt-Putt® miniature golf course behind the number 27th McDonald's with original Golden Arches salt-box architecture.
It was the main street for car cruising and the popularity of skating at the time. It was said to be open in 1973 but I am not sure. However, I first went there in March 1978. It was Friday 10 of March 1978 I went and it was crowded with long line that they were forced to open their emergency exit side door to open to allow more people in quicker. it took us to wait about 15 minutes to get in that door! They were not going to let me in because I would not skate and wanted to see what it is like. They said because of crowd, they only wanted skaters, no parents, no loitering, etc. But they made right decision to let me in which became my main skating rink for years till its demise in June 1983.
In comparison to the same month of March between 1978 and 1983 were largely difference. Wall to wall and forced to open emergency door on the side of front to admit in more skaters was the norm in March 1978 but in March 1983, I counted seven people skating including the singular floor guard in 1983. Big differences! Six customers skating! Because of that reason among with "over rinked" in Syracuse plus Syracuse population was shrinking ever since 1980 and never recovered. Syracuse had SIX rinks in a city population of 165,000 in 1980, 1983, before Empire Skates East closed, SEVEN rinks in declining city. Today Syracuse is 143 to 145,000 people and still declining. County population is unknown.
Empire Skates East was unusual because it had concrete floor instead of regularly wooden floor. The interior colors were mostly blues, and some greens. As you enter, the snack bar was on your right, and the DJ booth which was right next to the admission. It was also set up far from the rink. On the left while still facing the rink, several things-the bathrooms, the emergency exit, the party room, skate rental and in 1979 remodel, they had new game room and the lockers, then the back part was quite empty. No one was there. They had a platform in the right back corner if you were still standing from the entrance door made for bands but no bands played there at the time.
The seating area where the skate rental and to rest.. not the snack bar, they had what they are called, "high wire wheel 'spool'" and covered to match the carpet.
After Empire Skate East closed, Sports-O-Rama purchased some of those spools seating and disco lights that had rows of red light bulbs around. So, Empire Skates lived on as Sports-O-Rama till they had remodeled to raise the ceiling to accommodate basketball hoops and then after 2004, they removed the spool seating in favor for park bench style seating where lockers are. When they removed the spool seating, Empire Skates finally ceased completely.
The Interior.
This rink interior had columns and even run through the roller floor! Skaters do not like it but to some like myself who started to skate there. This was my first rink and I started without any of those "walkers" with wheels as people calls it. It is skate aid. Anyway, I skated column to column back and forth. That is what you see in the picture of me in background.
The floor was raised poured concrete in Sky Blue paint. It had sort of Navy Blue with slight Lime Green and White stripes on it.
They renovated in very end of 1979 to make room for an arcade. Previously there were not and were just lockers. But they added games in late 1979. About a dozen games there. High wire spools seating, and a snack bar to the right when you come in. When you come in, you pay admission which was on right side of you as you walk toward inside door, after that, you see DJ booth then you see snack bar behind it, rink ahead, rentals and locker to the left. Bathrooms toward front behind your left after you enter in the main place. Floor and seating carpets were both Dark Blue and Light Green colors. Perhaps that is the carpet they matched up to the rink wall paints and rails.
The Exterior.
When Empire Skates was around, the canopy that ran from one end to the other were Zig Zag 1950s theme roof but the plaza itself was flat with sight downgrade toward the back. There were no leaks during this period of the rink. Now it has hosted several stores since Empire Skates closed. Only remains was the name of the plaza, Empire Plaza properly named after the rink.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A Floor: Concrete, oiled Floor Layout: Standard
Building Size: N/A Built: N/A Demolished: Part of plaza, now different stores.
Type of Building: columns, shopping plaza Building.
Roof: Flat
Acres: N/A
Operated: N/A to June 1983
Reason for Closure: Losing patrons, fad, decline, and the City of Syracuse/CNY was losing residents.
Wanted: Information regarding pictures of exterior, more interior.
Sources:
My own experience.
Worth to visit:
None. Just retail stores and there are no evidence for you to see it was Empire Skates.
Date of Issue: 25 December 2018 (first profile)
Update: 23 March 2022.
Update:
For Office Only: 4.
© 2019-2020 Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:16.