Google Map. Top two. The sign showed as it was frozen in time because the rink closed for good.
Courtesy of Owners of Rollero Family Skate Center. Beautiful sunset shining on the rink in its glory in 2013 (Yes, you can see the date alright).
All three above courtesy of Google Map. Top showed the sign with the events scheduled at the time of the roof collapsed. Those are the last words and interesting, the sign stays there! Hey Rollero owners, may I have the sign please if you do not want that? And I see you got a truck for sale! I am sure its sold by now. Not bad priced for that popular blue color now. I got a truck so thanks anyway.
It is sad to see it has collapsed. due to a fire. I do not know what fire it was but apparently must have done the roof mainly.
It is sad to see it has collapsed. due to a fire. I do not know what fire it was but apparently must have done the roof mainly.
Courtesy of Yelp / Rollero Family Skating Center. Several patrons and the rink management took those pictures. Wow, can that kid play both? Wow, good job! Yes, I did too can play both characters especially when I played my favorite of all time--Bubble Bobble. And yes, I made it all the way to 100 boards plus the bonus 24 boards to a tune of 6 million points. (Yup, I am hearing the tune of Bubble Bobble!) (To see what Bubble Bobble is.. See here. This guy played very similar movement as I did. Very similar!)
Courtesy of ABC 15 Arizona. News reports on the roof collapse.
Courtesy of AZ Family (3 and 5). News about Roof Collapsed.
Both clippings courtesy of Rollero FRSC. They were originally on Facebook. They do not have Facebook account anymore but I was able to capture them on Local Gyms & Fitness which usually capture archives from Facebook on any businesses. They never reopened again.
Rollero Family Roller Skating 7318 W. Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ aka
Rollero Family Roller Skating Center 7318 W. Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ aka
Rollero Family Skating Center 7318 W. Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ
Rollero Family Roller Skating Center 7318 W. Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ aka
Rollero Family Skating Center 7318 W. Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ
There were a variant of name spelled for Rollero Family Roller Skating Center as that or as Rollero Family Roller Skating, or even Rollero family Skating Center but they were all one and the same for many years located at 7318 W. Indian School Road, Phoenix, Arizona.
They closed for good when the roof collapsed. They had a collapse on June 20, 2017 and this resulted the bowstring-type roof collapsed. This effectively ended the 34 years of Rollero Family Roller Skating Center.
That 34 years was resulted from a site-- Local Gyms and Fitness but my guts was right about when Rollero was opened and that was in 1961 thanks to the colors on the building which were so 1940s to mid-1960s. And AZ Family website said the same thing. Rollero was opened since 1961.
According to Phoenix Fire Department, the age of the building may have also contributed to the roof's collapse. The structure was built with a bowstring-type roof that were popular before the 1960s. These types of buildings pose as a threat to firefighters because they fail rapidly under fire conditions. This type of design was common with many roller rinks as you can see throughout Dead-Rinks if you want to find them. Many are also called, Arched-Curved because that is common name the public calls it but it is a Bowstring-type roof.
The roof collapsed after a week of high temperatures around 120 degrees in June of 2017. The rink closed an hour earlier after a busy session. It had no air conditioning, only swamp coolers. And it was the last rink in Arizona with a wood floor. The fire department told the owner years ago that if the building ever caught fire, they would not try to save it because they knew the roof would collapse and injure a firefighter. Other than the floor, the place was a dump.
--S. G.
No one was inside the building at the time of the incident. Whew!
S.G., you are correct and this is when it collapsed, no one was injured! Good thing it happened after a session! the dampness inside can increase moisture on the ceiling which can make it heavier and the bearing of weight could not hold up anymore. Crazy, no air conditioning. None. Just coolers. And no dehumidifiers either.
If ever caught on fire, since there the floor was wood and has flammable polyurethane coat on it. It is a fire fuel that can turn inside as a furnace and many rinks that had a fire would more likely be blasted as a furnace and can cause injuries or deaths there. Also a poof of fire. Meaning once it started, the whole place really literally burn down less than an hour even with fire department trying to dose it out. If you remember watching a Saturday morning cartoon when you were little before 1990s, you would see they lit up by accident then poof! the whole place burned down in a second. That similar kind of function but this rink, Rollero only had roof collapse. It did look like it may had a fire but it was the heat that week.
The roof and structure was not inspected since the early 1980s. That spelled trouble. Why did not anyone inspected? Would that be the rink owners' responsibility to go to the city to order for an inspection or the city's responsible to inspect in timely order from their books or the computers. Maybe the city needs to have a special system that gives as a timer to tell which places needed to have an update inspection? All good questions that could have prevented this problem presented that caused the collapse. That is the same way with bridges that can cause deaths like the one in West Virginia in late 1950s whereas people thought they saw the Mothman was (Yeah, right), and the other in Minneapolis in decade of 2000s.
They discovered that it was the high temperature of 120 degrees that week of collapse. It contributed to the collapsed. We know that heat expand metal and perhaps increased pressure that can cause collapse.
120 degrees F. is way too hot! I have been to San Miguel, El Salvador in 1997 and 2000 on mission trips, it was that hot there. Woo! Ahhh, I felt good at Burger King when we arrived there in 1997. Air conditioning and had a nice chicken sandwich and fries and soda. And seeing that guard there watching out for BK with his AK-47. Anyway, I know how hot it was. Mucho caliente. Mucho Loco. Si.
This kind of roof, the Bowstring-type is the kind of roof firefighters hate the most. This type usually cause more injuries and deaths than a flat roof or a gable roof. Depends on what materials too. A 2010 Chicago fire with this similar roof has caused 2 firefighters deaths and injured 19 others. The firefighters this time knew about the Chicago fire that they stayed out this time. Either that or the roof already collapsed when they arrived. The good news was that no one was killed or injured in this incident in Phoenix, AZ. Praise God for that.
They said the rink just closed at 8 PM that night and then the roof collapsed roughly a little over an hour later. Just passed 9 PM, it collapsed.
Looks like the rink itself was opened way back then. But Rollero ran for 34 years which dates them back to 1983.
Many social media for business ratings showed this was a very good rink with awesome management and staff according to about 90 percent of the patrons plus excellent floor. They said the staff and management were very friendly and good staff. Almost 100 percent. One complained wanted a Roller Derby and the rules made her uncomfortable. Clearly it is not about the business, it is about the person themselves that perhaps that person has a bad mood that day she went skating.
Of course, Rollero did NOT have any Roller Derby. Sure, Roller Derby are hot today and can be money maker for the rink with admissions. However, not all rinks would welcome or because of the size of the rink. This one looks a little tight to set up a Derby track. So, do not blame them. Rollero has a good reason for not hosting a Derby. Maybe scheduling conflict, maybe the rink itself was bit narrow.. or short. Something I will never know.
The Interior.
I do not know what the interior look way back then but most recent, they did have a paint job with simple design. The design that they had was with more of Lime Green, Blue, and a little of White against gray background on the walls but the benches had various of colors on each seat even with Red. I love the colors. When I first saw it, it reminds me of Empire Skates where I skated at. Similar colors. Those colors are very relaxing and seemly popular colors at many roller rinks. I have done 1900 rinks and about 10 to 20 rinks with the same colors (maybe I am exaggerating but that is the truth). The view I saw made me very relaxing and well executed with this design. This made me want to go skating tonight. That is the kind of feel I expected from this classical rink. It was functional inside. A little confusion though. The benches all were facing each other but no tables? Were those benches for relaxing or to change footwear to skates and back to footwear or to eat but no tables? It sure does look little confusing but a unique idea. A new direction away from the classical high-wire spool seating you seen at rinks everywhere else.
I see they have a lot of air conditioning vents there and seen on the photos for exterior, it must be a very hard working system for those at a rink because of the common desert heat of 100 plus outside. I am sure it is common issues with many rinks around desert states of AZ, NM, TX, CA, and NV and I am sure desert countries as well.
The Exterior.
Rollero had very unique building design. They had Bowstring-type Arched-Curved roof that housed the rink for many years. It was Cinderblock built that it even had classical color on the building. Similar to another rink, Rollerland in the same town. I strongly believe they both were under the same management or one copied off the other. Both had similar roof design and both had similar building materials as well. In fact, both had similar colors too. The photo evidence showed that it was classical Vogue Green walls and trims but the fonts were Yellow Sand color. This dates back to the 1960s. However, they said they were opened only for 34 years before the closure. Was Rollero opened even further back and with what rink name? It has to be a different name?
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Likely Maple. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: 15,334 SF. Built: 1961. Demolished: Roof collapsed, no chance to rebuilt, demolished completely.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss (Bowstring-type) Cinderblock-Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Bowstring-type ("Arched-Curved".)
Acres: 1.87 Acres. Three parcels totaling 81,021 SF
Operated: 1961 to Monday, June 20, 2017.
Rollero Family Skating Center (Dun & Bradstreet): 1995 to N/A.
Reason for Closure: Roof collapsed, no chance to rebuilt, demolished perhaps the cost they could not afford to rebuilt.
Wanted: Information regarding actual date of open, size of rink, rink materials. Photos of when it first opened.
Anyone has pictures and/or information please let me know at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources: Local Gyms & Fitness; Yelp; Four Square; AZ Family (3 and 5); Family Day Out; Just ADDR;
Dun & Bradstreet - Rollero Family Skating Center; Loop Net; AZ Central - roof collapsed; 2 YouTubes. See links above; News 9 on your side - Roof Collapse; KTAR - News on roof collapse; Yelp 2; S.G.;
Date of Issue: October 2020. Updated: 08 January 2021.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. God Matters. Jn 3:16.
They closed for good when the roof collapsed. They had a collapse on June 20, 2017 and this resulted the bowstring-type roof collapsed. This effectively ended the 34 years of Rollero Family Roller Skating Center.
That 34 years was resulted from a site-- Local Gyms and Fitness but my guts was right about when Rollero was opened and that was in 1961 thanks to the colors on the building which were so 1940s to mid-1960s. And AZ Family website said the same thing. Rollero was opened since 1961.
According to Phoenix Fire Department, the age of the building may have also contributed to the roof's collapse. The structure was built with a bowstring-type roof that were popular before the 1960s. These types of buildings pose as a threat to firefighters because they fail rapidly under fire conditions. This type of design was common with many roller rinks as you can see throughout Dead-Rinks if you want to find them. Many are also called, Arched-Curved because that is common name the public calls it but it is a Bowstring-type roof.
The roof collapsed after a week of high temperatures around 120 degrees in June of 2017. The rink closed an hour earlier after a busy session. It had no air conditioning, only swamp coolers. And it was the last rink in Arizona with a wood floor. The fire department told the owner years ago that if the building ever caught fire, they would not try to save it because they knew the roof would collapse and injure a firefighter. Other than the floor, the place was a dump.
--S. G.
No one was inside the building at the time of the incident. Whew!
S.G., you are correct and this is when it collapsed, no one was injured! Good thing it happened after a session! the dampness inside can increase moisture on the ceiling which can make it heavier and the bearing of weight could not hold up anymore. Crazy, no air conditioning. None. Just coolers. And no dehumidifiers either.
If ever caught on fire, since there the floor was wood and has flammable polyurethane coat on it. It is a fire fuel that can turn inside as a furnace and many rinks that had a fire would more likely be blasted as a furnace and can cause injuries or deaths there. Also a poof of fire. Meaning once it started, the whole place really literally burn down less than an hour even with fire department trying to dose it out. If you remember watching a Saturday morning cartoon when you were little before 1990s, you would see they lit up by accident then poof! the whole place burned down in a second. That similar kind of function but this rink, Rollero only had roof collapse. It did look like it may had a fire but it was the heat that week.
The roof and structure was not inspected since the early 1980s. That spelled trouble. Why did not anyone inspected? Would that be the rink owners' responsibility to go to the city to order for an inspection or the city's responsible to inspect in timely order from their books or the computers. Maybe the city needs to have a special system that gives as a timer to tell which places needed to have an update inspection? All good questions that could have prevented this problem presented that caused the collapse. That is the same way with bridges that can cause deaths like the one in West Virginia in late 1950s whereas people thought they saw the Mothman was (Yeah, right), and the other in Minneapolis in decade of 2000s.
They discovered that it was the high temperature of 120 degrees that week of collapse. It contributed to the collapsed. We know that heat expand metal and perhaps increased pressure that can cause collapse.
120 degrees F. is way too hot! I have been to San Miguel, El Salvador in 1997 and 2000 on mission trips, it was that hot there. Woo! Ahhh, I felt good at Burger King when we arrived there in 1997. Air conditioning and had a nice chicken sandwich and fries and soda. And seeing that guard there watching out for BK with his AK-47. Anyway, I know how hot it was. Mucho caliente. Mucho Loco. Si.
This kind of roof, the Bowstring-type is the kind of roof firefighters hate the most. This type usually cause more injuries and deaths than a flat roof or a gable roof. Depends on what materials too. A 2010 Chicago fire with this similar roof has caused 2 firefighters deaths and injured 19 others. The firefighters this time knew about the Chicago fire that they stayed out this time. Either that or the roof already collapsed when they arrived. The good news was that no one was killed or injured in this incident in Phoenix, AZ. Praise God for that.
They said the rink just closed at 8 PM that night and then the roof collapsed roughly a little over an hour later. Just passed 9 PM, it collapsed.
Looks like the rink itself was opened way back then. But Rollero ran for 34 years which dates them back to 1983.
Many social media for business ratings showed this was a very good rink with awesome management and staff according to about 90 percent of the patrons plus excellent floor. They said the staff and management were very friendly and good staff. Almost 100 percent. One complained wanted a Roller Derby and the rules made her uncomfortable. Clearly it is not about the business, it is about the person themselves that perhaps that person has a bad mood that day she went skating.
Of course, Rollero did NOT have any Roller Derby. Sure, Roller Derby are hot today and can be money maker for the rink with admissions. However, not all rinks would welcome or because of the size of the rink. This one looks a little tight to set up a Derby track. So, do not blame them. Rollero has a good reason for not hosting a Derby. Maybe scheduling conflict, maybe the rink itself was bit narrow.. or short. Something I will never know.
The Interior.
I do not know what the interior look way back then but most recent, they did have a paint job with simple design. The design that they had was with more of Lime Green, Blue, and a little of White against gray background on the walls but the benches had various of colors on each seat even with Red. I love the colors. When I first saw it, it reminds me of Empire Skates where I skated at. Similar colors. Those colors are very relaxing and seemly popular colors at many roller rinks. I have done 1900 rinks and about 10 to 20 rinks with the same colors (maybe I am exaggerating but that is the truth). The view I saw made me very relaxing and well executed with this design. This made me want to go skating tonight. That is the kind of feel I expected from this classical rink. It was functional inside. A little confusion though. The benches all were facing each other but no tables? Were those benches for relaxing or to change footwear to skates and back to footwear or to eat but no tables? It sure does look little confusing but a unique idea. A new direction away from the classical high-wire spool seating you seen at rinks everywhere else.
I see they have a lot of air conditioning vents there and seen on the photos for exterior, it must be a very hard working system for those at a rink because of the common desert heat of 100 plus outside. I am sure it is common issues with many rinks around desert states of AZ, NM, TX, CA, and NV and I am sure desert countries as well.
The Exterior.
Rollero had very unique building design. They had Bowstring-type Arched-Curved roof that housed the rink for many years. It was Cinderblock built that it even had classical color on the building. Similar to another rink, Rollerland in the same town. I strongly believe they both were under the same management or one copied off the other. Both had similar roof design and both had similar building materials as well. In fact, both had similar colors too. The photo evidence showed that it was classical Vogue Green walls and trims but the fonts were Yellow Sand color. This dates back to the 1960s. However, they said they were opened only for 34 years before the closure. Was Rollero opened even further back and with what rink name? It has to be a different name?
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Likely Maple. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: 15,334 SF. Built: 1961. Demolished: Roof collapsed, no chance to rebuilt, demolished completely.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss (Bowstring-type) Cinderblock-Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Bowstring-type ("Arched-Curved".)
Acres: 1.87 Acres. Three parcels totaling 81,021 SF
Operated: 1961 to Monday, June 20, 2017.
Rollero Family Skating Center (Dun & Bradstreet): 1995 to N/A.
Reason for Closure: Roof collapsed, no chance to rebuilt, demolished perhaps the cost they could not afford to rebuilt.
Wanted: Information regarding actual date of open, size of rink, rink materials. Photos of when it first opened.
Anyone has pictures and/or information please let me know at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources: Local Gyms & Fitness; Yelp; Four Square; AZ Family (3 and 5); Family Day Out; Just ADDR;
Dun & Bradstreet - Rollero Family Skating Center; Loop Net; AZ Central - roof collapsed; 2 YouTubes. See links above; News 9 on your side - Roof Collapse; KTAR - News on roof collapse; Yelp 2; S.G.;
Date of Issue: October 2020. Updated: 08 January 2021.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. God Matters. Jn 3:16.