Skate Country 2276 Thompson Bridge Rd, Gainesville, GA. Beautiful floor! I love it. Too bad I missed skating there. Source: Google Image.
Skate Country 2276 Thompson Bridge Rd, Gainesville, GA. Beautiful light design on the wall that is normally on the ceiling. I know of two other rinks with this or close to this design on the wall. the 49th Galleria comes to mind with a slight different design and another rink I cannot recall name. Source: Google Image.
Skate Country 2276 Thompson Bridge Rd, Gainesville, GA. Nice area with fireworks style carpet and bricks. What even nicer was that lightbox on the wall similiar to movie theater marquee light boxes that I even designed for a Miami, FL based company in early 2000s. This may or may not be my design. Source: Facebook - Skate Country Gainsville Memorial.
Skate Country 2276 Thompson Bridge Rd, Gainesville, GA. Beautiful pic. I see three photos of this on exact same location, but each one the sky was different. Can you tell? Was it what I am thinking? If you can't think, look at the sky.. UFOs? Nah. Haha. Source: Google Image.
Skate Country 2276 Thompson Bridge Rd, Gainesville, GA. Source: Facebook - Skate Country Gainsville Memorial.
Skate Country 2276 Thompson Bridge Rd, Gainesville, GA. This rink was featured on Joe Millionaire: For Richer or for Poorer. From left to right, Steven McBee, the Millionaire and a bachelorette Whitney Young. They had a skating date at the rink. Source: Facebook.
Skate Country 2276 Thompson Bridge Rd, Gainesville, GA
Skate Country 2276 Thompson Bridge Rd, Gainesville, Georgia. It was first opened by Jim and Susan Means as part of the two Skate Country rinks. This one in Gainesville and the other in Buford in the same state.
Owners Jim and Susan Means said they decided to close down the Gainesville location to focus on the Skate Country in Buford as the couple settles into retirement.
It was remodeled and turned into a new business office and headquarters for Milton Robson.
The rink closed on Sunday 24 October 2021. It was in fact filmed during that month of closing, the show, Joe Millionaire: For Richer or For Poorer. They had Steven McBee, the Millionaire and a bachelorette Whitney Young out on a skating night at the rink sometimes in October 2021. What day is unknown. Unfortunately this is the scene that Whitney did not want to have marriage yet. Steven said no. He wanted to marry so he dumped her. Then she went to Kurt and she got dumped by Kurt Sowers. She went home that night for good.
The Interior.
The interior had beautiful Polyurethane coated non-painted Hardwood Maple floor with Fan floor layout with the Starburst lights not on the ceiling but on the end wall. The lights were displayed on that end.
The floor shape is rectangular with angled corners.
What was attractive were very colorful walls that each wall had a different color for section between the trusses on the wall. Red, Yellow, Blue, etc.
The Exterior.
The exterior was quite similar in design to their original rink, the Skate Country Oakwood in Oakwood, GA. You can see the design is similar. See that page for details and to compare.
But the Gainsville, GA location was a newer built than the Oakwood which was built in 1974. The Gainsville rink had built in 1980. 6 years later and newer trends at the time including Red Bricks walls. However, roof is slightly different. It was still Mansard similar to the Oakwood location.
It does appear nicer at the Gainsville.location. The Buford location is still operational.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Polyurethane coated Hardwood Maple, nonpainted.. Floor Layout: Fan
Building Size: 23,052 SF. Built: 1981. Renovations: N/A. Demolished: Still standing.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Steel - Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gabled.
Acres: 3.9000 AC.
Organ: N/A.
Operated: (Overall)-- 1980 to Sunday 24 October 2021.
Reason for Closure: Owners Jim and Susan Means said they decided to close down the Gainesville location to focus on the Skate Country in Buford as the couple settles into retirement.
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:
Loop Net - Property records.
The Gainsville Times - Rink closing. 15 October 2021 by Daniela Carrasco.
Yelp - 2.4 Average score.
AccessWDUN - About rink closing. Thursday, 21 October 2021 by Alyson Shields.
FourSquare
Retrofied magazine - About the rink, his last skate with his daughter.
Just Dial - Information about the rink.
Facebook - Skate Country Gainsville Memorial.
Worth to visit:
None. It is a garage to store cars. Do NOT visit.
Go skating at the Buford location instead.
Skate Country Buford.
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.
Date of issue: 05 March 2022.
For office use only:
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 and 16.
Owners Jim and Susan Means said they decided to close down the Gainesville location to focus on the Skate Country in Buford as the couple settles into retirement.
It was remodeled and turned into a new business office and headquarters for Milton Robson.
The rink closed on Sunday 24 October 2021. It was in fact filmed during that month of closing, the show, Joe Millionaire: For Richer or For Poorer. They had Steven McBee, the Millionaire and a bachelorette Whitney Young out on a skating night at the rink sometimes in October 2021. What day is unknown. Unfortunately this is the scene that Whitney did not want to have marriage yet. Steven said no. He wanted to marry so he dumped her. Then she went to Kurt and she got dumped by Kurt Sowers. She went home that night for good.
The Interior.
The interior had beautiful Polyurethane coated non-painted Hardwood Maple floor with Fan floor layout with the Starburst lights not on the ceiling but on the end wall. The lights were displayed on that end.
The floor shape is rectangular with angled corners.
What was attractive were very colorful walls that each wall had a different color for section between the trusses on the wall. Red, Yellow, Blue, etc.
The Exterior.
The exterior was quite similar in design to their original rink, the Skate Country Oakwood in Oakwood, GA. You can see the design is similar. See that page for details and to compare.
But the Gainsville, GA location was a newer built than the Oakwood which was built in 1974. The Gainsville rink had built in 1980. 6 years later and newer trends at the time including Red Bricks walls. However, roof is slightly different. It was still Mansard similar to the Oakwood location.
It does appear nicer at the Gainsville.location. The Buford location is still operational.
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: Polyurethane coated Hardwood Maple, nonpainted.. Floor Layout: Fan
Building Size: 23,052 SF. Built: 1981. Renovations: N/A. Demolished: Still standing.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Steel - Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gabled.
Acres: 3.9000 AC.
Organ: N/A.
Operated: (Overall)-- 1980 to Sunday 24 October 2021.
Reason for Closure: Owners Jim and Susan Means said they decided to close down the Gainesville location to focus on the Skate Country in Buford as the couple settles into retirement.
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:
Loop Net - Property records.
The Gainsville Times - Rink closing. 15 October 2021 by Daniela Carrasco.
Yelp - 2.4 Average score.
AccessWDUN - About rink closing. Thursday, 21 October 2021 by Alyson Shields.
FourSquare
Retrofied magazine - About the rink, his last skate with his daughter.
Just Dial - Information about the rink.
Facebook - Skate Country Gainsville Memorial.
Worth to visit:
None. It is a garage to store cars. Do NOT visit.
Go skating at the Buford location instead.
Skate Country Buford.
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.
Date of issue: 05 March 2022.
For office use only:
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 and 16.