Courtesy of Lexington Herald Leader. Old advertisement for Scotty's.
Google Maps. Sorry there aren't any old photograph of the building as it was a roller rink. Unfortuantely. But as Thrift store. Top to bottom: 2012, 2018, and 2019. I am sure it has completed with the new look. Google Map has not yet provided that yet.
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" West Main Street, Lexington, KY (1st location)
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" Lexington, KY (another location moved to)
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" West Main Street, Lexington, KY (Moved back)
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" Sixth Street, Lexington, KY (relocated)
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" 228 East New Circle Road, Lexington, KY (final relocation)
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" Lexington, KY (another location moved to)
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" West Main Street, Lexington, KY (Moved back)
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" Sixth Street, Lexington, KY (relocated)
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" 228 East New Circle Road, Lexington, KY (final relocation)
There is a very interesting story behind Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" which was at 228 East New Circle Road, Lexington, Kentucky. Because the founder of Scotty's as many skaters called that rink was a genius.
As the story goes, when he was a teenager, he and a friend could not find jobs during the Great Depression, they created jobs themselves by renting a dance hall for a evening in February 1938 to become a roller rink. They heard a roller rink went out of business up North (no rink known in this story), so they bought skate rentals and brought it down in their vehicles or parents' vehicles and set up it. That night, Debt was paid off and he made quite a bit of money. I noticed when there is a recession or depression economically, people tend to go roller skating. In this case, like we experienced in 2020 with COVID Global Depression, Roller skating skyrocketed, Gilbert Scott began it all for himself. Being so clever, as his friend backed out, he held on. The following year, he found investors to become partners to set up skating rink and skating events. He would buy old canvas tent that had leaks and it would rain. When it did, with being prepared that he printed rain check tickets, no one minded that it rained. Gilbert kept ongoing. Gilbert worked with different investors each time for each events. Sometimes with a portable floor and tent set up someplace. Sometimes even at an airport hanger, he would set up at hay and alfalfa fields. You would smell the hay or the alfalfas nearby as you skate. Some farms had rinks.
Gilbert was truly making money as he was primarily operator of his portable rink. It was time he would go out on his own.
A former business partner told him after he went through Lexington, KY enroute to his honeymoon in the South, told Gilbert about a rink closed there and the whole town was available to grasp the market 100 percent.
Gilbert packed it up quickly and moved there to set up shop right away. So he started his rink above the old Baehr's Giant Market on West Main Street downtown. It opened Nov. 1, 1939. The name for that rink was unknown.
During the next few years, he also would operate the rinks at times under the tents on Versailles Road and National Avenue.
Gilbert Scott was still operating his rink even through the Wartime --World War II. He was eventually drafted in 1943 and he had to close the rink temporarily from 1943 till he returned home from the war in 1945-ish. He served in the Army as air-traffic controller. Thank you Gilbert for defending the Constitution of the United States and our Faith in the LORD Jesus Christ.
Upon returning, he reopened the rink and operated for many more years. His plans to grow didn't stop. He soon moved back to Main Street, then to Sixth Street and then, in 1958, to the location that would be etched in the minds of many of his customers: East New Circle Road
As time was getting close, he wanted to continue to operate but his wife Bertha wanted to retire and he realized, its time. So, he happened to meet Armand Champa of the Champ's Rollerdrome empire and told Armand he can open a rink in Lexington and Armand was a little concerned about what he said because if Champ's was to be opened, that would have been the death of Scott's Roll-Arena there. So, Armand seems to understand why. So, once Champ's was opened, Scotty's closed for good to allow Gilbert to retire at the age of 57.
Gilbert went on to live to be in his 90s. Gilbert sold the rink to Salvation Army to become a thrift store for a good reason. He did not want a night club or bars to buy the old rink because they offered him that and he does not want any reputation associated to his name because he wanted people to remember that place as a rink. Salvation Army did kept promise and the building was torn down in 2010s and they are rebuilding their new store on the same spot.
The Interior.
Depending on what location you are talking about. As for the portable rink, it was likely wood with leaky tents. As for the final rink location, it was wood alight. Likely Maple. Seemly a tradition for Gilbert that he has to have wooden floor at each location he relocated to.
The final location also had exposed ceiling with Open Span Steel Truss roof and cinderblock walls as you can see in photos.
The Exterior.
Where the rink was, it was Gable roof except for front portion Flat roof and Bricks. Free-Span Steel Truss Red Bricks and Cinderblock-Walled Warehouse - like Building Gable.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: N/A. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: N/A. Demolished: N/A.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss Steel-Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gable.
Acres: N/A.
Operated: (Overall)-- 1936/7 to November 1, 1939 to 1975.
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" West Main Street: November 1, 1939 to 1943.
Gone to the Army: 1943 to 1945 (Wartime).
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" Lexington, KY: 1945 to N/A.
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" West Main Street: (Moved back) N/A to N/A.
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" Sixth Street: (relocated) N/A to 1958.
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" 228 East New Circle Road: 1958 to 1975.
Note: Gilbert Scott began in around 1936/7 (opinion) as a teenager opening a rink at a dance hall. Gilbert had to serve as he was drafted during the War in 1940s. He closed up between 1943 to 1945.
Reason for Closure: N/A.
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" West Main Street: Forced to shut down due to draft into war.
Gone to the Army: 1943 to 1945 (Wartime).
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" Lexington, KY: Needed to relocate.
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" West Main Street: (Moved back) Needed to relocate.
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" Sixth Street: (relocated) Needed to relocate.
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" 228 East New Circle Road: Early retirement, let Armand Champa runs his Champ's Rollerena in Lexington.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also photos. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources: Kentucky newspaper - memory of Scotty's and Gilbert Scott - PDF version;
Lexington Herald Leader - updating the building of former rink;
Note- the Lexington Herald Leader only allows you to read ONE free article! (This is my first rink profile in the Lexington area and I have more than 15 rinks to check! I will not be able to make much profiles thanks to that *******g newspaper that you have to subscribe. This is why I am considering start charging fans like you to offset the cost for me to read articles and get links so I can make profile. This profile above was able to be written because I got ONE free article. You see, nothing is free. I do the work for nothing and you get to read this for free. If you want to read this, and all other profiles, to make that happen, you must start support me in order to get those articles. Do NOT blame me, blame on yourself and the media because of your and their greed. I am not greedy. Comes April 15, 2021. Dead-Rinks can be suspended unless you support.
Date of issue: 14 March 2021.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:16.
As the story goes, when he was a teenager, he and a friend could not find jobs during the Great Depression, they created jobs themselves by renting a dance hall for a evening in February 1938 to become a roller rink. They heard a roller rink went out of business up North (no rink known in this story), so they bought skate rentals and brought it down in their vehicles or parents' vehicles and set up it. That night, Debt was paid off and he made quite a bit of money. I noticed when there is a recession or depression economically, people tend to go roller skating. In this case, like we experienced in 2020 with COVID Global Depression, Roller skating skyrocketed, Gilbert Scott began it all for himself. Being so clever, as his friend backed out, he held on. The following year, he found investors to become partners to set up skating rink and skating events. He would buy old canvas tent that had leaks and it would rain. When it did, with being prepared that he printed rain check tickets, no one minded that it rained. Gilbert kept ongoing. Gilbert worked with different investors each time for each events. Sometimes with a portable floor and tent set up someplace. Sometimes even at an airport hanger, he would set up at hay and alfalfa fields. You would smell the hay or the alfalfas nearby as you skate. Some farms had rinks.
Gilbert was truly making money as he was primarily operator of his portable rink. It was time he would go out on his own.
A former business partner told him after he went through Lexington, KY enroute to his honeymoon in the South, told Gilbert about a rink closed there and the whole town was available to grasp the market 100 percent.
Gilbert packed it up quickly and moved there to set up shop right away. So he started his rink above the old Baehr's Giant Market on West Main Street downtown. It opened Nov. 1, 1939. The name for that rink was unknown.
During the next few years, he also would operate the rinks at times under the tents on Versailles Road and National Avenue.
Gilbert Scott was still operating his rink even through the Wartime --World War II. He was eventually drafted in 1943 and he had to close the rink temporarily from 1943 till he returned home from the war in 1945-ish. He served in the Army as air-traffic controller. Thank you Gilbert for defending the Constitution of the United States and our Faith in the LORD Jesus Christ.
Upon returning, he reopened the rink and operated for many more years. His plans to grow didn't stop. He soon moved back to Main Street, then to Sixth Street and then, in 1958, to the location that would be etched in the minds of many of his customers: East New Circle Road
As time was getting close, he wanted to continue to operate but his wife Bertha wanted to retire and he realized, its time. So, he happened to meet Armand Champa of the Champ's Rollerdrome empire and told Armand he can open a rink in Lexington and Armand was a little concerned about what he said because if Champ's was to be opened, that would have been the death of Scott's Roll-Arena there. So, Armand seems to understand why. So, once Champ's was opened, Scotty's closed for good to allow Gilbert to retire at the age of 57.
Gilbert went on to live to be in his 90s. Gilbert sold the rink to Salvation Army to become a thrift store for a good reason. He did not want a night club or bars to buy the old rink because they offered him that and he does not want any reputation associated to his name because he wanted people to remember that place as a rink. Salvation Army did kept promise and the building was torn down in 2010s and they are rebuilding their new store on the same spot.
The Interior.
Depending on what location you are talking about. As for the portable rink, it was likely wood with leaky tents. As for the final rink location, it was wood alight. Likely Maple. Seemly a tradition for Gilbert that he has to have wooden floor at each location he relocated to.
The final location also had exposed ceiling with Open Span Steel Truss roof and cinderblock walls as you can see in photos.
The Exterior.
Where the rink was, it was Gable roof except for front portion Flat roof and Bricks. Free-Span Steel Truss Red Bricks and Cinderblock-Walled Warehouse - like Building Gable.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: N/A. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: N/A. Demolished: N/A.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss Steel-Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gable.
Acres: N/A.
Operated: (Overall)-- 1936/7 to November 1, 1939 to 1975.
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" West Main Street: November 1, 1939 to 1943.
Gone to the Army: 1943 to 1945 (Wartime).
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" Lexington, KY: 1945 to N/A.
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" West Main Street: (Moved back) N/A to N/A.
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" Sixth Street: (relocated) N/A to 1958.
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" 228 East New Circle Road: 1958 to 1975.
Note: Gilbert Scott began in around 1936/7 (opinion) as a teenager opening a rink at a dance hall. Gilbert had to serve as he was drafted during the War in 1940s. He closed up between 1943 to 1945.
Reason for Closure: N/A.
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" West Main Street: Forced to shut down due to draft into war.
Gone to the Army: 1943 to 1945 (Wartime).
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" Lexington, KY: Needed to relocate.
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" West Main Street: (Moved back) Needed to relocate.
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" Sixth Street: (relocated) Needed to relocate.
Scott's Roll-Arena "Scotty's" 228 East New Circle Road: Early retirement, let Armand Champa runs his Champ's Rollerena in Lexington.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also photos. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources: Kentucky newspaper - memory of Scotty's and Gilbert Scott - PDF version;
Lexington Herald Leader - updating the building of former rink;
Note- the Lexington Herald Leader only allows you to read ONE free article! (This is my first rink profile in the Lexington area and I have more than 15 rinks to check! I will not be able to make much profiles thanks to that *******g newspaper that you have to subscribe. This is why I am considering start charging fans like you to offset the cost for me to read articles and get links so I can make profile. This profile above was able to be written because I got ONE free article. You see, nothing is free. I do the work for nothing and you get to read this for free. If you want to read this, and all other profiles, to make that happen, you must start support me in order to get those articles. Do NOT blame me, blame on yourself and the media because of your and their greed. I am not greedy. Comes April 15, 2021. Dead-Rinks can be suspended unless you support.
Date of issue: 14 March 2021.
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:16.