All courtesy of Pyramid Companies and Skate-A-While.
Skate-A-While, 220 Ridge Street, Rome, NY
Skate-A-While is still operating but it is up for sale. Will they survive? If they close along with Bilou Roller Rink in Fulton, for the first time in Central NY only one rink in Utica, NY is operating. No other Central NY is in the running if both rinks closes. It will leave a large gap. like Vermont and New Hampshire have no rinks at all. And New York City for brief time had no rink, the founding home of roller rinks since Plimpton began rinks there in New York City.
With a few more successful rinks in other cities except for Syracuse, they will survive. It will make it harder for Syracusans to go skating if both Bilou and Skate-A-While closes.
This rink was one of the rinks I skated back in the 1970s.
It has Solid Oak floor which is quite rare instead of Maple. Maple is harder and this, more than Oak but harder woods such as Maple can be vulnerable to decay, as softer wood resists. Tight-grained maple is harder than broad-grained oak. It is kind of like you have to make hard decision on which wood. Maple is 1,450 on the scale of mar (the hardness) as Red Oak is just 1,290 which makes it more wobble on the floor when there is humidity and contract/expand of the floor due to temperature and humidity. Rome, NY is in the East Coast which is susceptible to humidity and can cause damages but also the coldness of Lake Effect snow is present during months from November to March. The rink in the photo showed it appeared to be White Oak but I am not sure.
It has a lot of Patriotic Red and Blue inside. It has wooden rails separating from the rink and snackbar area. On the snack bar side, you will see Patriotic Red and Blue but on the other side it is Red and Yellow carpeted walls to soften impacts. If you look one way, it looks nice and modern but the other way, it looked aged. On one side it is Olive Green-Green color carpet on the wall Opposition to Rustic Red. (Colors may distorted by photograph. It appeared that way). In past, they had Yellow color where Royal Blue is now located above the rink.
I was there in the 1970s and the walls were Tanish colors instead of the Yellow and the Blue are now. I was there in 1978, I believe. It was fall 1978, the same year I went skating for first time at Empire Skates.
The building has two parts. The main one is gable Free Span Warehouse like with a Salt Box style building that looked like it was designed in the 1970s when those styles of roof were popular at the time. Even 1960s according to my 1960s architect drafting book featuring some houses with that Hip roof or Salt-Box look.
It is brown on the outside with some stones with the name on it. Looks ageless on that part. That look is back though.
I have no idea why they are selling. But please DO go to the rink and keep it operational! Grab as much as you can.
Earl was the previous owner/manager of the rink.
On Facebook, there are much criticism about the management regarding to birthday parties, yelling at the children, and many other common issues you find at any rinks. This does hurt the business if people complaining rather than respecting. "The customer is always right" is misstated and sometimes it is their own fault because children are misbehaving these days thanks to the Liberal agenda and not only that, parents are lazy to teach children morality as well as behavor in public places. Like learning how to ride a bike usually starts in the driveway, then the street. Well, same with skating, starts at home. Right on the driveway and teach them how to skate right and teach them that they have to be nice.
Managers and owners need to behave too. Yelling does not help you. You have a reputation to upkeep. If there is a problem with a skater, pull aside and have a talk with them and call their parents in the office. I know of a rink owner did this and usually makes the children come in the office and call the parents. And they are not allowed back in. Not yelling but invite them in office to talk and ask for their names so you can write it in your notebook so you can remember who they are and call their parents. If parents are present, invite them all in the office to talk and get their names and expels them immediately. That is all. Just leave inexperienced skaters alone and let them learn how to skate. Thank you!
Eugene S Tamburino currently owns the rink.
There was a report that they had a roof leakage in December 2018 or sometimes in 2019 but not sure.
Rink Size: N/A Floor: White Oak Wood Floor Layout: Fan
Building Size: 13,000 SF Built: N/A
Type of Building: Free Span Steel Warehouse Building with some stone walls. It has attached building that has Salt-Box style with high pitched Hip Roof.
Roof: Combination- Gable and Salt-Box Style with high pitched Hip Roof.
Acres: 19,000 Plus SF (.5 acres)
Operated: Filed on June 8, 1973; 1973 to Present (For sale in November 2019)
Reason for Closure: N/A
Wanted: Information regarding why they are selling and will they close for good?
Sources: Pyramid Companies, Flyer, Bizapedia, Hunker (about wood), Yelp, Skate-A-While website (Now only opens Saturday afternoons and nights), Facebook,
© 2019 Dead Rinks. All Rights Reserved.
Skate-A-While is still operating but it is up for sale. Will they survive? If they close along with Bilou Roller Rink in Fulton, for the first time in Central NY only one rink in Utica, NY is operating. No other Central NY is in the running if both rinks closes. It will leave a large gap. like Vermont and New Hampshire have no rinks at all. And New York City for brief time had no rink, the founding home of roller rinks since Plimpton began rinks there in New York City.
With a few more successful rinks in other cities except for Syracuse, they will survive. It will make it harder for Syracusans to go skating if both Bilou and Skate-A-While closes.
This rink was one of the rinks I skated back in the 1970s.
It has Solid Oak floor which is quite rare instead of Maple. Maple is harder and this, more than Oak but harder woods such as Maple can be vulnerable to decay, as softer wood resists. Tight-grained maple is harder than broad-grained oak. It is kind of like you have to make hard decision on which wood. Maple is 1,450 on the scale of mar (the hardness) as Red Oak is just 1,290 which makes it more wobble on the floor when there is humidity and contract/expand of the floor due to temperature and humidity. Rome, NY is in the East Coast which is susceptible to humidity and can cause damages but also the coldness of Lake Effect snow is present during months from November to March. The rink in the photo showed it appeared to be White Oak but I am not sure.
It has a lot of Patriotic Red and Blue inside. It has wooden rails separating from the rink and snackbar area. On the snack bar side, you will see Patriotic Red and Blue but on the other side it is Red and Yellow carpeted walls to soften impacts. If you look one way, it looks nice and modern but the other way, it looked aged. On one side it is Olive Green-Green color carpet on the wall Opposition to Rustic Red. (Colors may distorted by photograph. It appeared that way). In past, they had Yellow color where Royal Blue is now located above the rink.
I was there in the 1970s and the walls were Tanish colors instead of the Yellow and the Blue are now. I was there in 1978, I believe. It was fall 1978, the same year I went skating for first time at Empire Skates.
The building has two parts. The main one is gable Free Span Warehouse like with a Salt Box style building that looked like it was designed in the 1970s when those styles of roof were popular at the time. Even 1960s according to my 1960s architect drafting book featuring some houses with that Hip roof or Salt-Box look.
It is brown on the outside with some stones with the name on it. Looks ageless on that part. That look is back though.
I have no idea why they are selling. But please DO go to the rink and keep it operational! Grab as much as you can.
Earl was the previous owner/manager of the rink.
On Facebook, there are much criticism about the management regarding to birthday parties, yelling at the children, and many other common issues you find at any rinks. This does hurt the business if people complaining rather than respecting. "The customer is always right" is misstated and sometimes it is their own fault because children are misbehaving these days thanks to the Liberal agenda and not only that, parents are lazy to teach children morality as well as behavor in public places. Like learning how to ride a bike usually starts in the driveway, then the street. Well, same with skating, starts at home. Right on the driveway and teach them how to skate right and teach them that they have to be nice.
Managers and owners need to behave too. Yelling does not help you. You have a reputation to upkeep. If there is a problem with a skater, pull aside and have a talk with them and call their parents in the office. I know of a rink owner did this and usually makes the children come in the office and call the parents. And they are not allowed back in. Not yelling but invite them in office to talk and ask for their names so you can write it in your notebook so you can remember who they are and call their parents. If parents are present, invite them all in the office to talk and get their names and expels them immediately. That is all. Just leave inexperienced skaters alone and let them learn how to skate. Thank you!
Eugene S Tamburino currently owns the rink.
There was a report that they had a roof leakage in December 2018 or sometimes in 2019 but not sure.
Rink Size: N/A Floor: White Oak Wood Floor Layout: Fan
Building Size: 13,000 SF Built: N/A
Type of Building: Free Span Steel Warehouse Building with some stone walls. It has attached building that has Salt-Box style with high pitched Hip Roof.
Roof: Combination- Gable and Salt-Box Style with high pitched Hip Roof.
Acres: 19,000 Plus SF (.5 acres)
Operated: Filed on June 8, 1973; 1973 to Present (For sale in November 2019)
Reason for Closure: N/A
Wanted: Information regarding why they are selling and will they close for good?
Sources: Pyramid Companies, Flyer, Bizapedia, Hunker (about wood), Yelp, Skate-A-While website (Now only opens Saturday afternoons and nights), Facebook,
© 2019 Dead Rinks. All Rights Reserved.