All courtesy of Skateland East/Skatetown USA Facebook Fan group. The Skatetown USA mural was fading. You can see the wheels were really faded because skaters walked the skates instead of sliding and had their hands on the wall. Like cars go over yellow stripes, same differences. I love the Skatetown USA logo because it was truly symbolic of the 1970s theme relating to Americana, the patriotisms, and the Bicentennial Celebration occurred in 1976.
Did you noticed something in the ceiling in this rink that no other rinks I have done have those. What are those monstrous thingy in the ceiling! Really hideous! Ugly. Are they speakers? Terrible design if they are. Looks like it belongs to a horror Science Fiction movie with Orwellian theme.
Did you noticed something in the ceiling in this rink that no other rinks I have done have those. What are those monstrous thingy in the ceiling! Really hideous! Ugly. Are they speakers? Terrible design if they are. Looks like it belongs to a horror Science Fiction movie with Orwellian theme.
Skateland East 670 Coe Ave., East Haven, CT
Skatetown U S A 670 Coe Ave., East Haven, CT
Skatetown USA 670 Coe Ave., East Haven, CT (aka)
Skatetown U S A 670 Coe Ave., East Haven, CT
Skatetown USA 670 Coe Ave., East Haven, CT (aka)
Skateland East as well as Skatetown USA (U S A in some links) were at 670 Coe Avenue East Haven, Connecticut. The rinks. The operators were Cappy Amodio and Ralph Castellor. They began in 1955. They closed in 1987.
I could not find any much more information and which began. I think Skatetown USA came out first in 1955 and somewhere between 1955 and 1987, they had name changed to Skateland East thanks to the photos on their Facebook group site.
A much help would be needed to explain about those rink businesses for this site. Anyone knows, please email me at [email protected].
Now I can explain architecturally.
The Interior.
Because they had a 32 years run, I am sure they had a couple of renovations both interior and exterior. The interior before 1970s were unknown. Anyone know what it was like? I think the major changes occurred with the name changes. It became very 1970s feel inside as you can see in the photo. There were murals including the Skatetown USA name on the end wall. They had dark (was it carpet?) on the wall and some pillar-like on the wall of same color. The old color photo was not being very helpful due to darkness inside and type of film before digital can clearify that. Unfortunately, we cannot do anything less one of us invent a time machine and go back and use digital camera to take pictures of everything from today back to the Creation.
Anyway, the name was in center of end wall with two skates. one on each side with wings. Mercury style. But with skates. And both pointing to each other with the logo in middle. It was clearly Maple floor and apparently looks beautiful one.
Since there were not much more photos. The lockers were two color toned. All vertical. Might have been Soft Yellow and Dark Red or Tan and Dark Red.
Anyone can explain can tell me in email more about the inside.
They had two monstrous ugly white thingies in the ceiling above the rink. I think maybe they are speakers but boy, they are sure ugly. So far with 2000 rinks I have done research (and some could not find information on those red font rinks), this is the first I have seen and I never seen them anywhere. What are they? And they are so big. maybe that is why we do not see them around anymore. Speakers today for a large place like this now are small as your hand.
Of course the starburst lights in the center, a more familiar item most rinks has but those two thingies.. huh?
Now the location is a wine and a liquor store with other smaller shops in a plaza.
The Exterior.
The exterior was different for the original but the renovation I can see has very 1970s look. Perhaps even early as 1960s (Some rinks had this Hip or Mansard Roof style façade as a trendy style of its day of the 1960s and 1970s. Even 1950s had that look especially Sports-O-Rama in Mattydale, NY that had that look. I think a couple of them in Florida had that look, and maybe a couple in Georgia and Alabama.)
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: N/A. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: 1955. Demolished: Likely for new plaza building now a wine and liquor store.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss Steel-Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gable.
Acres: N/A.
Operated: (Overall): 1955 to 1987
Skatetown U S A: 1955 to ?
Skateland East: ? to 1987.
Reason for Closure: N/A.
Skatetown U S A: N/A.
Skateland East: N/A.
Wanted: Information regarding actual dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also photos.
Anyone has pictures and/or information please let me know at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources: Google Map; Facebook group;
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:16.
I could not find any much more information and which began. I think Skatetown USA came out first in 1955 and somewhere between 1955 and 1987, they had name changed to Skateland East thanks to the photos on their Facebook group site.
A much help would be needed to explain about those rink businesses for this site. Anyone knows, please email me at [email protected].
Now I can explain architecturally.
The Interior.
Because they had a 32 years run, I am sure they had a couple of renovations both interior and exterior. The interior before 1970s were unknown. Anyone know what it was like? I think the major changes occurred with the name changes. It became very 1970s feel inside as you can see in the photo. There were murals including the Skatetown USA name on the end wall. They had dark (was it carpet?) on the wall and some pillar-like on the wall of same color. The old color photo was not being very helpful due to darkness inside and type of film before digital can clearify that. Unfortunately, we cannot do anything less one of us invent a time machine and go back and use digital camera to take pictures of everything from today back to the Creation.
Anyway, the name was in center of end wall with two skates. one on each side with wings. Mercury style. But with skates. And both pointing to each other with the logo in middle. It was clearly Maple floor and apparently looks beautiful one.
Since there were not much more photos. The lockers were two color toned. All vertical. Might have been Soft Yellow and Dark Red or Tan and Dark Red.
Anyone can explain can tell me in email more about the inside.
They had two monstrous ugly white thingies in the ceiling above the rink. I think maybe they are speakers but boy, they are sure ugly. So far with 2000 rinks I have done research (and some could not find information on those red font rinks), this is the first I have seen and I never seen them anywhere. What are they? And they are so big. maybe that is why we do not see them around anymore. Speakers today for a large place like this now are small as your hand.
Of course the starburst lights in the center, a more familiar item most rinks has but those two thingies.. huh?
Now the location is a wine and a liquor store with other smaller shops in a plaza.
The Exterior.
The exterior was different for the original but the renovation I can see has very 1970s look. Perhaps even early as 1960s (Some rinks had this Hip or Mansard Roof style façade as a trendy style of its day of the 1960s and 1970s. Even 1950s had that look especially Sports-O-Rama in Mattydale, NY that had that look. I think a couple of them in Florida had that look, and maybe a couple in Georgia and Alabama.)
The Stats:
Rink Size: N/A. Floor: N/A. Floor Layout: N/A.
Building Size: N/A. Built: 1955. Demolished: Likely for new plaza building now a wine and liquor store.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Truss Steel-Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gable.
Acres: N/A.
Operated: (Overall): 1955 to 1987
Skatetown U S A: 1955 to ?
Skateland East: ? to 1987.
Reason for Closure: N/A.
Skatetown U S A: N/A.
Skateland East: N/A.
Wanted: Information regarding actual dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also photos.
Anyone has pictures and/or information please let me know at [email protected]. Thank you.
Sources: Google Map; Facebook group;
© Copyrighted by Dead-Rinks. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:16.