Melody Roller Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. Really helpful information on the floor size! And its member of RSROA. Source: Ebay.
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. Good clear logo capture on image search because on their website the rink is not on there anymore. Source: See Groton (CT).
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. Taken in 2017. As you can see it was right near Interstate 95. Source: Google Map.
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. This was the final day of Galaxy Skating Rink as they were loading up things in that trailer. No, its not a Dead-Rinks trailer. A joke to have a name on a trailer. Maybe someday! Source: Google Map.
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. Noticed that yellow sign on the door? The town posted that it was unfit to occupy which is because of the leaky roof, unsafe for people to enter the building. It was posted in February 2018. Will that make the owner of that building fix it up? Ha. Source: Flickr.
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. This is the rear that the Google Driver took of the building in 2008 showing where the windows used to be. You can tell by the Cinderblocks on both side of that wall facing the camera. The steel sheet metals you can see is where the windows used to be. The newer photograph showed all weeds and grass and ferns grew as tall as the building itself! Source: Google.
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT Galaxy Roller Rink Website archives capture. Very detailed and well organized website history page.
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. This was Melody Skating Rink interior look like in 1955. Noticed windows all wrapped around near the Ceiling. Also the large wall windows in the back which is now facing Interstate 95 onramp (unseen in photo above). Source: William Beebe.
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. As Sam Beckett (in Quantum Leap) would say, "Oh boy." That is right, you see the buckets/waste baskets in the rink floor? Yes, those darn leaks! And the cones for OSHA safety regulations. In the background you see the white numbers on black trim. Those are numbers where your skate party is hosted at. Source: Google.
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. You can see the final rink--the Galaxy Roller Rink. Same back wall. It was all covered up with Cinderblocks, and painted of course. I do not know what that big monstrous box on that back wall was about. UPDATE! -- (23 June 2022) That box used to house the organist who would play live music for the skaters. I believe the organ had long since been removed from the building but that box was there until they tore the building down a couple weeks ago. (Thanks A.P.). You can see the ceiling was replaced with White ceiling panels and adding of lights up there. More lights because of no more windows. Hard to tell if the rink size looks smaller too but it was smaller. Source: Google Images.
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. See the leakage? Panels falling, water pools in some spots, please do not forget to look up to the ceiling! Bad, right? Source: The Day/Sean D. Elliott.
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. See the leakage? Panels falling, water pools in some spots, please do not forget to look up to the ceiling! Bad, right? Source: The Day/Sean D. Elliott.
Melody Roller Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. Announcing the opening of the rink on Friday October 14, 1955. Source: Billboard - 29 October 1955, page 68, column 1.
Melody Roller Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. Rehearsing. Source: Hartford Courant - Saturday 2 March 1963.
Roll on America 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. The return of the rink! Like cats have 9 lives, 8th life left! The late 1970s and early 1980s was an era of businesses revitalized from closures. Source: Hartford Courant - Tuesday November 8, 1977. Copyrighted Digitally remastered by Dead-Rinks. Fitting.
Roll on America 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. Both articles (part 1 and 2) courtesy of Hartford Courant Sunday June 11, 1978. It talked about the return of roller skating as a trend thanks to disco and many new rinks. Many of the rinks are mentioned in the article. And many are already folded as dead rinks. Can you name them in the article all the rinks and name all that are closed for good? Source: Hartford Courant - Sunday, 11 June 1978.
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. Before the rink closed. Source: Galaxy Website grab.
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. Announcing of closure for good. I captured when it was just 5 hours old post! Source: Galaxy Roller Rink Facebook page.
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT Final post is mentioned on their Facebook page. I agree with his loving wife for what effort Matt was trying to do. Please everyone READ THIS. It is NOT Matt's fault but the OWNER of the building. Greed is what I think the owner is doing. I wish Matt would have thought of another place to open the rink. Source: Facebook Galaxy Skating Rink page.
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT Final post of this rink on their website. Source: Galaxy website grab.
Melody Roller Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. Yes, they did have a banner! Rarely a rink would have a banner. Banners like this were popular in 1950s for high schools, colleges, sports teams, etc. even for a skating Rink. Source: Pinterest.
Melody Roller Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. Melody Skating Rink tokens for games in 1955 to 1966. Yes, they had tokens back the day. It was called Pass Out Check." Whatever that means. Source: Token Catalog.
Roll On America 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT A button. Source: Roll On America Facebook group.
Roll On America 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT A patch. Source: Roll On America Facebook group.
Roll On America 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT Very interesting! A license plate! No, that was not legal plate/tag. It is decorative but apparently it was put on someone's car because of the holes were worn out and broken plus the plate is all bend up and beat up. Accident? Could be. Source: Roll On America Facebook group.
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. Another form of Token but as Galaxy Roller Rink actual game token because the other one above in silver color was a Pass Out Check--whatever that means. (a readmission token?) Source: eBay.
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. It was sold! Source: Patch Groton, CT - Monday, 20 September 2021. (Note the read the full story is the same amount of story).
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. Mulling what to do with it. (Eventually they did demolish it). The Day - 16 September 2021.
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT. A very good commercial. Source: YouTube/Michael Longino, the former owner of Galaxy Roller Rink.
Melody Roller Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT
Roll on America 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT
Skatetown USA 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT
Roll on America 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT
Skatetown USA 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT
Galaxy Skating Rink 210 Bridge Street, Groton, CT
This location had seen numerous of rink names come and go with the final rink, the Galaxy Skating Rink which closed in 2018 due to problems with roof leaking that the building owner did not repair.
Originally opened in 1955 by Melody Skating Rink Inc. which was likely operated by Elias H. Trefes and Lou Trefes. They were the building owners. They ran the rink till 1965. He only sold the rink business but kept the building.
For a time, the building was converted to an electric boat manufacturer's conceptual manufacturing called "procurement" or a pilot room facility. Electric boats? Almost unheard of but that was the place they attempted for a while. But apparently in 1977, after 11 years, the skating rink was back. Commenters on The Day said it was a typing pool for the EB company. UPDATE-- Was NOT an electric boat manufacturer but manufactured for the defense contractor for the American Government. Likely they had manufactured privately and perhaps said it was a "electric boat manufacturer" for defense purposes and as a decoy.
Lewis Quintin Jr. and Kenneth Perkins were the next operators to reboot with their roller skating rink in 1977 called, Roll On America. They renovated twice. They renovated for reopening in 1977 and renovated it again in 1985 by adding a pizza shop called Paddlewheel Pizza Parlor. But they folded in sometimes in 1988 according to The Day, which replaced with Skatetown USA. Might have been related ownership with the other Skatetown USA (which later became Skateland East). Likely that was when Skatetown USA opened in 1988. The club, on the other hand.... read on.
Skatetown USA in this town, Groton did not have much information but I found there is Skatetown USA Artistic Club. They may have had a connection and named after the former rink when they were established in the 1990s. There is an information that they were founded in 1990. That was the possibility the date it was opened. In May 13, 1990.
This gave the idea that they were opened that year or even before 1990 for anyone to form. OR they actually formed the club and named the rink Skateland USA. It says the club is active but not there anymore. I could not find the Groton location of the club for this present day. But this was really a franchise for the national company because that is what the name all over was.
I will have this profile update when I have more information on Skateland USA. But the club was formed by Kathleen A. Watrous.
But by 1995, likely just 5 short years, it became Galaxy Roller Rink. A source said it was 1995 but I am not sure if it was Groton Skate Center. Like I said, I will update this page as I find more information especially from you skaters or owners.
The owner at the time was unknown from 1995 to 2005 then Matt Longino took over the same year- 1995 until February 2018.
That is when the roofing problem occurred for a few years and it was bitter back and forth between Matt Longingo, the rink owner and the building owner, Lou Trefes. Longino has owned the business for 13 years, and he said he spent 12.5 of them "begging" Trefes to replace the roof. He also tried unsuccessfully to buy the building.
Maybe that is why it has zero confident score on one of the real estate website regarding the property which includes the former rink, and a strip with a few businesses house in that strip. It is on 6.6 Acres of property or 287,496 Sq. Ft.
I really feel bad for Matt Longino because he tried all that time to tell the owner of the building to FIX the roof. Even before the lease contract expired. Still was not fixing before that. The court is wrong in its decision to side with the building owner, Tresfes instead of the Longinos. I am on Matt's side. I think the long term winner is actually Matt because of the town declared the building is unsafe.
UPDATE! -- 12 June 2022.
I received a bit funny but we regret the error but that is what we received in sources the first place that it was a boat manufacturer but apparently was not exactly a boat manufacturer. Please read here..
I was reading your thumbnail history of the abovenamed rink and just wanted to let you know that Electric Boat Co. (which briefly occupied this building) does NOT in fact make electric boats (ironically). It's the defense department contractor that builds nuclear submarines for the US Navy, and is one of the biggest employers in this region. I read your piece and had to chuckle, but also wanted to clear that up. It appears that they have very recently torn the roller rink building down.
I was also curious: are all the rinks you list on your site *dead* even if there is no link to further info? I have fond memories (but alas, no photos) of Steiner's Roller Rink in Scottdale PA, but have long since moved away and wondered about its fate. I presume it's a site you have never researched or visited?
There is actually a *live* roller rink near where I live now, Skate Inn in Plainfield, CT. I believe they are still hosting birthday parties etc. I retired from my job as a local news reporter just prior to covid, and in my last year of work I did a story about a group of high-level skaters from that rink who were preparing to attend the national roller skating championships. I was charmed to find that people still roller skate competitively. I never did myself, but I did enjoy hours of fun at Steiner's.
Thanks for your obvious dedication to this fun byway of American history.
All the best,
J.S.
UPDATE! -- 23 June 2022.
I received an email from A.P. who told me why there is this big box in the background in the photo. And some other things here. It is edited for here.
Good morning,
I was just looking through your photos of Galaxy in Groton and in one you mention the large box over the rink floor and not knowing what it was for. My grandfather Norman met my grandmother Beverly there back when it was melody. Galaxy was always a part of my childhood and he and I would go there on Wednesdays to skate until he passed away. That box used to house the organist who would play live music for the skaters. I believe the organ had long since been removed from the building but that box was there until they tore the building down a couple weeks ago.
Thank you for putting the history of that building together like you did, it will be surely missed in the neighborhood.
When I would skate with my grandpa there he would always sneak up behind me and tap me on the opposite shoulder and cause me to look the wrong way, he would have a good giggle and keep on rolling. Every now and then I feel that tap and hear that giggle and it always makes me remember that wonderful place and that amazing man. I miss him every day..
Again thank you, I really enjoyed looking through that page.
Sincerely,
AP
The Interior.
Ever since, the floor was Maple clear coated. but the size did change. When it was Melody in 1955, the floor was 82 feet by 180 feet but later on, unknown when but likely after the EB company, the size was reduced to 76.5 feet by 166 feet which was SMALLER. perhaps to give more room in the off-rink areas such as snack bar, lockers, kitchen, office, whatever it was. There is no information who reduced the rink size.
The 1955 interior was very basic appearance. A lot of windows wrapped around walls and a huge one took up almost entire wall. some rinks were like that.
They had wooden benches paralleled to the rail for spectators to watch skaters. Just one row though. The old photo from William Beebe showed the rails were steel pipe style and the rink itself was Fan style layout.
The windows and the rink itself made the space looked so spacious and airy Really large feel. The rink floor was almost the size of an NHL size.
Big difference with the after the boat company leased the building. I believe that was when it was reduced size. losing just 3.5 feet wide by 14 feet long. It does not look like much but to a rink, it does. Also windows were covered up. Most pre-1960s rinks that had windows were usually covered up. I do not know why they would do that. I like to open up more once again.
In the first run before the boat company held the company in there, there were no disco lights, Diamond ball, flashers, etc. on the ceiling. Just long tubes of lights in straight lines. Just two straight lines.
After the boat company left, the rink was back. I am sure renovations included lights, balls and flashers and more.
As with Galaxy rink, the rink floor and Iron pipe rails were all Yellow. I believe the floor was Concrete. I believe that Maple wood floor was removed.
The walls were painted in Blue with Black stripe and White above them. But the other part such as party snack bar area and the other wall on the other side of the rink had different colors. It had Purple, Yellow stripes and White above them.
I am not sure how the combination looked that way because of photos only showed on one side and others other side. I am trying to grasp the feel inside that rink. But one thing though, I love the colors there, it was truly bold, youthful, and trendy. It would have lasted another good 20 to 30 years down the road with those colors.
Galaxy Roller Rink also had three glow rooms for parties. They may have updated the look before their closure.
The Exterior.
The appearance of the building looked more like a.. factory in modern look although I can picturize the look when it had all windows in 1955. The windows in William Beebe's photo clearly showed where it was. It was in the back of the building facing the on-ramp for the highway, Interstate 95. The photo will show as a proof because you can see the rear of the building facing the onramp has Cinderblocks from Ceiling down to the ground on each end of that wall as there is steel sheet metal walls in between those two corners. Now, compare that to the William Beebe's photo, you see the similarities?
That end had painted diagonal Red.
The Stats:
Melody Roller Rink:
Rink Size: 82' x 180' Floor: Clear coated, powered Maple. Floor Layout: Fan
Roll-on America:
Rink Size: (said the the floor in article) was 82' x 180' Floor: Blue Painted (some type of urethane coat) Maple.
Floor Layout: underlay- Fan.
Galaxy Roller Rink:
Rink Size: 76.5' x 166'. Floor: Yellow coated Polyurethane (?) Maple. Floor Layout: underlay- Fan.
(All)--
Building Size: 206' long x 180' wide. Built: N/A. Demolished: Still standing, vacant. (has roof leakage)
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss Cinderblocks-Walled storefront - like Building.
Roof: Multi level Flat.
Acres: 6.6000 Acres. (287,496 Sq. Ft.)
Operated: N/A.
Melody Roller Rink: Friday October 14,1955 to 1966.
(General Dynamics "Electric Boat division" company leased this spot from 1966 to 1977)
Roll-on America: November 1977 to 1988.
Skatetown USA: 1988 to 1995.
Galaxy Roller Rink:1995 to Wednesday, 21 February 2018.
Reason for Closure: N/A.
Melody Roller Rink: N/A.
Roll-on America: N/A.
Skatetown USA: N/A.
Galaxy Roller Rink: Rink owner blames on leaky roof, town condemned property as unsafe.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates (for some of them) of open/closed, why closed, rink materials. Also photos.
Anyone has pictures and/or information please let me know at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources:
Loop Net
Xome
Yelp - Galaxy Roller Rink.
Google Photos - Galaxy Roller Rink.
The Day - Galaxy closes region loss.
The Day - Galaxy rink closes. PDF verison
Tokens - Galaxy Roller Rink.
CT Reigstery - Skatetown USA.
Billboard October 29, 1955 - Melody Skating Rink.
Facebook- defunct but captured through the internet.
Email - J.S. (12 June 2022).
Email - A.P. (23 June 2022).
New additional sites as of 23 June 2022 --
Facebook - Roll on America Group.
Patch - building sold, will be a brewery? Building was demolished.
The Day - Brewery company bought and realize...
Date of issue: 2018.
Update: 2019.
Update: 12 June 2022.
Update: 23 June 2022.
For office use only: 30/1. (originally 21/1).
Worth to visit:
None. Demolished. Do NOT enter due it is a private property until it is rebuilt as a public business. Right now, fenced off. Read on.
DISCLAIMER:
Dead-Rinks and Mark Falso are not responsible for your physical and legal injuries you may have caused. 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 differences result between two 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.
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. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 to 16. Deut. 32:7.
Originally opened in 1955 by Melody Skating Rink Inc. which was likely operated by Elias H. Trefes and Lou Trefes. They were the building owners. They ran the rink till 1965. He only sold the rink business but kept the building.
For a time, the building was converted to an electric boat manufacturer's conceptual manufacturing called "procurement" or a pilot room facility. Electric boats? Almost unheard of but that was the place they attempted for a while. But apparently in 1977, after 11 years, the skating rink was back. Commenters on The Day said it was a typing pool for the EB company. UPDATE-- Was NOT an electric boat manufacturer but manufactured for the defense contractor for the American Government. Likely they had manufactured privately and perhaps said it was a "electric boat manufacturer" for defense purposes and as a decoy.
Lewis Quintin Jr. and Kenneth Perkins were the next operators to reboot with their roller skating rink in 1977 called, Roll On America. They renovated twice. They renovated for reopening in 1977 and renovated it again in 1985 by adding a pizza shop called Paddlewheel Pizza Parlor. But they folded in sometimes in 1988 according to The Day, which replaced with Skatetown USA. Might have been related ownership with the other Skatetown USA (which later became Skateland East). Likely that was when Skatetown USA opened in 1988. The club, on the other hand.... read on.
Skatetown USA in this town, Groton did not have much information but I found there is Skatetown USA Artistic Club. They may have had a connection and named after the former rink when they were established in the 1990s. There is an information that they were founded in 1990. That was the possibility the date it was opened. In May 13, 1990.
This gave the idea that they were opened that year or even before 1990 for anyone to form. OR they actually formed the club and named the rink Skateland USA. It says the club is active but not there anymore. I could not find the Groton location of the club for this present day. But this was really a franchise for the national company because that is what the name all over was.
I will have this profile update when I have more information on Skateland USA. But the club was formed by Kathleen A. Watrous.
But by 1995, likely just 5 short years, it became Galaxy Roller Rink. A source said it was 1995 but I am not sure if it was Groton Skate Center. Like I said, I will update this page as I find more information especially from you skaters or owners.
The owner at the time was unknown from 1995 to 2005 then Matt Longino took over the same year- 1995 until February 2018.
That is when the roofing problem occurred for a few years and it was bitter back and forth between Matt Longingo, the rink owner and the building owner, Lou Trefes. Longino has owned the business for 13 years, and he said he spent 12.5 of them "begging" Trefes to replace the roof. He also tried unsuccessfully to buy the building.
Maybe that is why it has zero confident score on one of the real estate website regarding the property which includes the former rink, and a strip with a few businesses house in that strip. It is on 6.6 Acres of property or 287,496 Sq. Ft.
I really feel bad for Matt Longino because he tried all that time to tell the owner of the building to FIX the roof. Even before the lease contract expired. Still was not fixing before that. The court is wrong in its decision to side with the building owner, Tresfes instead of the Longinos. I am on Matt's side. I think the long term winner is actually Matt because of the town declared the building is unsafe.
UPDATE! -- 12 June 2022.
I received a bit funny but we regret the error but that is what we received in sources the first place that it was a boat manufacturer but apparently was not exactly a boat manufacturer. Please read here..
I was reading your thumbnail history of the abovenamed rink and just wanted to let you know that Electric Boat Co. (which briefly occupied this building) does NOT in fact make electric boats (ironically). It's the defense department contractor that builds nuclear submarines for the US Navy, and is one of the biggest employers in this region. I read your piece and had to chuckle, but also wanted to clear that up. It appears that they have very recently torn the roller rink building down.
I was also curious: are all the rinks you list on your site *dead* even if there is no link to further info? I have fond memories (but alas, no photos) of Steiner's Roller Rink in Scottdale PA, but have long since moved away and wondered about its fate. I presume it's a site you have never researched or visited?
There is actually a *live* roller rink near where I live now, Skate Inn in Plainfield, CT. I believe they are still hosting birthday parties etc. I retired from my job as a local news reporter just prior to covid, and in my last year of work I did a story about a group of high-level skaters from that rink who were preparing to attend the national roller skating championships. I was charmed to find that people still roller skate competitively. I never did myself, but I did enjoy hours of fun at Steiner's.
Thanks for your obvious dedication to this fun byway of American history.
All the best,
J.S.
UPDATE! -- 23 June 2022.
I received an email from A.P. who told me why there is this big box in the background in the photo. And some other things here. It is edited for here.
Good morning,
I was just looking through your photos of Galaxy in Groton and in one you mention the large box over the rink floor and not knowing what it was for. My grandfather Norman met my grandmother Beverly there back when it was melody. Galaxy was always a part of my childhood and he and I would go there on Wednesdays to skate until he passed away. That box used to house the organist who would play live music for the skaters. I believe the organ had long since been removed from the building but that box was there until they tore the building down a couple weeks ago.
Thank you for putting the history of that building together like you did, it will be surely missed in the neighborhood.
When I would skate with my grandpa there he would always sneak up behind me and tap me on the opposite shoulder and cause me to look the wrong way, he would have a good giggle and keep on rolling. Every now and then I feel that tap and hear that giggle and it always makes me remember that wonderful place and that amazing man. I miss him every day..
Again thank you, I really enjoyed looking through that page.
Sincerely,
AP
The Interior.
Ever since, the floor was Maple clear coated. but the size did change. When it was Melody in 1955, the floor was 82 feet by 180 feet but later on, unknown when but likely after the EB company, the size was reduced to 76.5 feet by 166 feet which was SMALLER. perhaps to give more room in the off-rink areas such as snack bar, lockers, kitchen, office, whatever it was. There is no information who reduced the rink size.
The 1955 interior was very basic appearance. A lot of windows wrapped around walls and a huge one took up almost entire wall. some rinks were like that.
They had wooden benches paralleled to the rail for spectators to watch skaters. Just one row though. The old photo from William Beebe showed the rails were steel pipe style and the rink itself was Fan style layout.
The windows and the rink itself made the space looked so spacious and airy Really large feel. The rink floor was almost the size of an NHL size.
Big difference with the after the boat company leased the building. I believe that was when it was reduced size. losing just 3.5 feet wide by 14 feet long. It does not look like much but to a rink, it does. Also windows were covered up. Most pre-1960s rinks that had windows were usually covered up. I do not know why they would do that. I like to open up more once again.
In the first run before the boat company held the company in there, there were no disco lights, Diamond ball, flashers, etc. on the ceiling. Just long tubes of lights in straight lines. Just two straight lines.
After the boat company left, the rink was back. I am sure renovations included lights, balls and flashers and more.
As with Galaxy rink, the rink floor and Iron pipe rails were all Yellow. I believe the floor was Concrete. I believe that Maple wood floor was removed.
The walls were painted in Blue with Black stripe and White above them. But the other part such as party snack bar area and the other wall on the other side of the rink had different colors. It had Purple, Yellow stripes and White above them.
I am not sure how the combination looked that way because of photos only showed on one side and others other side. I am trying to grasp the feel inside that rink. But one thing though, I love the colors there, it was truly bold, youthful, and trendy. It would have lasted another good 20 to 30 years down the road with those colors.
Galaxy Roller Rink also had three glow rooms for parties. They may have updated the look before their closure.
The Exterior.
The appearance of the building looked more like a.. factory in modern look although I can picturize the look when it had all windows in 1955. The windows in William Beebe's photo clearly showed where it was. It was in the back of the building facing the on-ramp for the highway, Interstate 95. The photo will show as a proof because you can see the rear of the building facing the onramp has Cinderblocks from Ceiling down to the ground on each end of that wall as there is steel sheet metal walls in between those two corners. Now, compare that to the William Beebe's photo, you see the similarities?
That end had painted diagonal Red.
The Stats:
Melody Roller Rink:
Rink Size: 82' x 180' Floor: Clear coated, powered Maple. Floor Layout: Fan
Roll-on America:
Rink Size: (said the the floor in article) was 82' x 180' Floor: Blue Painted (some type of urethane coat) Maple.
Floor Layout: underlay- Fan.
Galaxy Roller Rink:
Rink Size: 76.5' x 166'. Floor: Yellow coated Polyurethane (?) Maple. Floor Layout: underlay- Fan.
(All)--
Building Size: 206' long x 180' wide. Built: N/A. Demolished: Still standing, vacant. (has roof leakage)
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss Cinderblocks-Walled storefront - like Building.
Roof: Multi level Flat.
Acres: 6.6000 Acres. (287,496 Sq. Ft.)
Operated: N/A.
Melody Roller Rink: Friday October 14,1955 to 1966.
(General Dynamics "Electric Boat division" company leased this spot from 1966 to 1977)
Roll-on America: November 1977 to 1988.
Skatetown USA: 1988 to 1995.
Galaxy Roller Rink:1995 to Wednesday, 21 February 2018.
Reason for Closure: N/A.
Melody Roller Rink: N/A.
Roll-on America: N/A.
Skatetown USA: N/A.
Galaxy Roller Rink: Rink owner blames on leaky roof, town condemned property as unsafe.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates (for some of them) of open/closed, why closed, rink materials. Also photos.
Anyone has pictures and/or information please let me know at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources:
Loop Net
Xome
Yelp - Galaxy Roller Rink.
Google Photos - Galaxy Roller Rink.
The Day - Galaxy closes region loss.
The Day - Galaxy rink closes. PDF verison
Tokens - Galaxy Roller Rink.
CT Reigstery - Skatetown USA.
Billboard October 29, 1955 - Melody Skating Rink.
Facebook- defunct but captured through the internet.
Email - J.S. (12 June 2022).
Email - A.P. (23 June 2022).
New additional sites as of 23 June 2022 --
Facebook - Roll on America Group.
Patch - building sold, will be a brewery? Building was demolished.
The Day - Brewery company bought and realize...
Date of issue: 2018.
Update: 2019.
Update: 12 June 2022.
Update: 23 June 2022.
For office use only: 30/1. (originally 21/1).
Worth to visit:
None. Demolished. Do NOT enter due it is a private property until it is rebuilt as a public business. Right now, fenced off. Read on.
DISCLAIMER:
Dead-Rinks and Mark Falso are not responsible for your physical and legal injuries you may have caused. 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 differences result between two 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.
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.
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