High Roller Roller Rink 617 W. 57th Street, Manhattan, NY. Already demolished before 2011 on Google Map. Source: Google.
High Roller Roller Rink 617 W. 57th Street, Manhattan, NY. 2021. Nice skyscraper. I recalled seeing this I believe on Facebook a couple of years ago or so. People were saying different things about this building because it was so odd and different. Like a sculpture architecture similar to Sculpture in the Environment or known as SITE, the same firm designed BEST Catalog Stores. Source: Google.
High Roller Roller Rink 617 W. 57th Street, Manhattan, NY. This gentleman broke the world record for the tallest on roller skates with stilts. With skates and stilts overall was 9 feet tall. This occurred during MDA Telethons to raise money for charity. This happened in late 1970s and in 1980. This was taken on 18 July 1980. Source: Facebook group High Roller.
High Roller Roller Rink 617 W. 57th Street, Manhattan, NY. This magazine did featured roller skating rinks in immediate area. Not all are listed because this article showed which rinks were the best. Really, Roxy's? Yes, was popular and the best. This was roller skating's answer to Studio 57 Disco club. Source: New York Magazine 10 March 1980, Page 67, 2nd and 3rd Columns.
High Roller Roller Rink 617 W. 57th Street, Manhattan, NY
(Red Parrot 617 W. 57th Street, Manhattan, NY)
(Red Parrot 617 W. 57th Street, Manhattan, NY)
High Roller Roller Rink 617 W. 57th Street, Manhattan, New York was one of many New York City roller rinks, the home of the world's first roller rink. Not that address but in the same city.
Anyway, Kirk Walsh who owned Trax, a well known night club in New York owned this rink because he felt they need something different without drinking and people can skate. At the time, Disco was popular and was featured at thousands of night clubs around the world at the time (1960s to early 1980s), and funny, he would not serve alcoholic beverages because it is like drinking and driving. This was just before that was a major awareness in early 1980s. Skating would be driving!
I believe that High Roller Roller Disco Rink was operational up to 1980 because Red Parrot took over the location in 1980 and operated until 1988. It was a Disco night club. It was opened on New Year's Eve 1980 (31 December 1980). This coming from Disco-Disco website, that would be their version of Dead-Rinks. I mean their own version of listing of all former former disco clubs.
After High Rollers rink closed, Jimmy Merry started Red Parrot night club which leaned toward two clichés: Rich and alternative sexual preferences. In fact, all of Jimmy's employees at Red Parrot were gay. It was totally transformed from a warehouse like roller rink into a night club.
Jimmy had a Servant Leadership style because of his concern and focused on his employees from DJ down to busboys.
Annually for New Year's Eve 1980 and the next three New Year's Eve parties, a well known singer and bandleader/conductor Cab Calloway and his orchestra played music. Other notables performed at the former rink--Red Parrot Disco Club were Madonna, Smokey Robinson, and many others.
The warehouse size was apparently on the entire block. Between 57th and 58th Streets. After the Red Parrot closed in 1988, it was demolished in 2014 to make way for a skyscraper.
The Interior.
High Roller Roller Rink: Hard to see the photos in Facebook but it appeared to be wood floor. Maybe Maple. There were some walls appeared to be...mirrors on there. Careful! You know the story of the world's first skates and skater that he did not know how to skate and he was performing with a violin on skates and crashed into a mirror.
The pictures are not that clear. Remember they were films back the day and were not that clear. Bit of foggy in the photos. Everyone's, really.
Anyway, the pictures showed it appeared very warehouse like interior with exposed Steel beams--Steel Free Span Trusses and Steel Sheet walls.
The rails were classic Steel pipes common seen in older skating rinks from early to mid-Century (up to 1960s).
It had that Disco feel in a warehouse. Pretty much White on ceiling and walls.
Red Parrot: It was totally transformed. The front Façade and the foyer were entirely in Italian Granite or was it Marble? Nope, it was Italian Slate. They had to do maintenance quite often to take care of it.
In the foyer was a 10 feet tall neon lighted parrot as a display. Very 1980s look that early in the decade.
To enter the ballroom, you had to walk through chromed wire-fence that was made to look like a bird cage.
They had a very large DJ booth that can fit in at least a dozen people including a pair of each: DJ, VJ (handling Disco lights), and Sound Technicians. Also a laser light technician and four guests.
It had three bars. First one close to the entrance was handled by six bartenders, the middle one on other side of the floor handled by four followed by another one downstairs for VIP and guests
The Exterior.
High Roller Roller Rink: It was in a Free-Span Steel Trusses Steel - Walled Warehouse - like Building with Gabled Roof. The color appearance on the outside was unknown but perhaps it was White like the interior. Not sure.
Red Parrot: It was in a Free-Span Steel Trusses Steel - Walled Warehouse - like Building with Gabled Roof. The difference was that the Façade had Italian Slate.
The building was demolished in 2014 for a new Skyscraper that was built in late 2010s.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Likely Non-painted urethane coated Maple. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: N/A. Renovations: Late 1980s turning into night club.
Demolished: 2011. Now a skyscraper.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Steel - Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gabled.
Acres: N/A.
Organ: None due to this was a Disco Roller Rink.
Operated: (Overall)-- 1960s to Mid-year 1980.
High Roller Roller Rink: 1960s to Mid-year 1980.
Red Parrot: New Year's Eve (31 December) 1980 to 1988.
Reason for Closure:
High Roller Roller Rink: N/A.
Red Parrot: N/A.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. 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:
Disco-Disco - website on former disco clubs, their version of "Dead-Rinks."
Facebook - High Roller.
New York Magazine - 10 March 1980, Page 67, 2nd and 3rd Columns.
Rock the Bells - About breakdancing had its start at roller rinks including High Roller!
Worth to visit:
None.
Date of issue: 09 February 2022.
For office use only: 4.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 and 16.
Anyway, Kirk Walsh who owned Trax, a well known night club in New York owned this rink because he felt they need something different without drinking and people can skate. At the time, Disco was popular and was featured at thousands of night clubs around the world at the time (1960s to early 1980s), and funny, he would not serve alcoholic beverages because it is like drinking and driving. This was just before that was a major awareness in early 1980s. Skating would be driving!
I believe that High Roller Roller Disco Rink was operational up to 1980 because Red Parrot took over the location in 1980 and operated until 1988. It was a Disco night club. It was opened on New Year's Eve 1980 (31 December 1980). This coming from Disco-Disco website, that would be their version of Dead-Rinks. I mean their own version of listing of all former former disco clubs.
After High Rollers rink closed, Jimmy Merry started Red Parrot night club which leaned toward two clichés: Rich and alternative sexual preferences. In fact, all of Jimmy's employees at Red Parrot were gay. It was totally transformed from a warehouse like roller rink into a night club.
Jimmy had a Servant Leadership style because of his concern and focused on his employees from DJ down to busboys.
Annually for New Year's Eve 1980 and the next three New Year's Eve parties, a well known singer and bandleader/conductor Cab Calloway and his orchestra played music. Other notables performed at the former rink--Red Parrot Disco Club were Madonna, Smokey Robinson, and many others.
The warehouse size was apparently on the entire block. Between 57th and 58th Streets. After the Red Parrot closed in 1988, it was demolished in 2014 to make way for a skyscraper.
The Interior.
High Roller Roller Rink: Hard to see the photos in Facebook but it appeared to be wood floor. Maybe Maple. There were some walls appeared to be...mirrors on there. Careful! You know the story of the world's first skates and skater that he did not know how to skate and he was performing with a violin on skates and crashed into a mirror.
The pictures are not that clear. Remember they were films back the day and were not that clear. Bit of foggy in the photos. Everyone's, really.
Anyway, the pictures showed it appeared very warehouse like interior with exposed Steel beams--Steel Free Span Trusses and Steel Sheet walls.
The rails were classic Steel pipes common seen in older skating rinks from early to mid-Century (up to 1960s).
It had that Disco feel in a warehouse. Pretty much White on ceiling and walls.
Red Parrot: It was totally transformed. The front Façade and the foyer were entirely in Italian Granite or was it Marble? Nope, it was Italian Slate. They had to do maintenance quite often to take care of it.
In the foyer was a 10 feet tall neon lighted parrot as a display. Very 1980s look that early in the decade.
To enter the ballroom, you had to walk through chromed wire-fence that was made to look like a bird cage.
They had a very large DJ booth that can fit in at least a dozen people including a pair of each: DJ, VJ (handling Disco lights), and Sound Technicians. Also a laser light technician and four guests.
It had three bars. First one close to the entrance was handled by six bartenders, the middle one on other side of the floor handled by four followed by another one downstairs for VIP and guests
The Exterior.
High Roller Roller Rink: It was in a Free-Span Steel Trusses Steel - Walled Warehouse - like Building with Gabled Roof. The color appearance on the outside was unknown but perhaps it was White like the interior. Not sure.
Red Parrot: It was in a Free-Span Steel Trusses Steel - Walled Warehouse - like Building with Gabled Roof. The difference was that the Façade had Italian Slate.
The building was demolished in 2014 for a new Skyscraper that was built in late 2010s.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Likely Non-painted urethane coated Maple. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: N/A. Renovations: Late 1980s turning into night club.
Demolished: 2011. Now a skyscraper.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Steel - Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gabled.
Acres: N/A.
Organ: None due to this was a Disco Roller Rink.
Operated: (Overall)-- 1960s to Mid-year 1980.
High Roller Roller Rink: 1960s to Mid-year 1980.
Red Parrot: New Year's Eve (31 December) 1980 to 1988.
Reason for Closure:
High Roller Roller Rink: N/A.
Red Parrot: N/A.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. 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:
Disco-Disco - website on former disco clubs, their version of "Dead-Rinks."
Facebook - High Roller.
New York Magazine - 10 March 1980, Page 67, 2nd and 3rd Columns.
Rock the Bells - About breakdancing had its start at roller rinks including High Roller!
Worth to visit:
None.
Date of issue: 09 February 2022.
For office use only: 4.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 and 16.