Courtesy of Democrat and Chronicles. Popular at the time! Long line await to enter the rink!
United Skates of America, 1250 W. Ridge Road, Greece, NY
This was a very popular rink in Greater Rochester, NY area with six other rinks around town however, this was the happening Rink that most skaters preferred at the time. Roller Disco was in and guys checking out the girls.
This United Skates of America in Greece was a franchise that they had rinks all around the United States.
It opened at the start of the Disco craze and skating craze in 1976 and it ran until it closed in 1993. It was so bad with the crowd waiting for the rink to open that people pushed people into the front door that was made of glass. Pair of glass doors and then further pushed by cashiers. it was chaotic. Unlike with Empire Skates in 1978 that Empire Skates in Dewitt, NY was clever not to have that incident by opening their side emergency doors to allow skaters in.
However, it was not the case with U.S.A. in Greece because of the pushing through the doors.
They had adult night skate on Mondays and they had to turn away late comers because they had to limit to 600 skaters for that night because adults did not like the crowd and needed more room. Likely those wanted to roller disco rather than the children and teens just skating around the rink over and over. Usually about 700 would arrive. The adult night skate had 700 people so they had to turn away a hundred give or take. One time they had a thousand people and they were upset and pushed other skaters up front to smash into the glass doors and even went beyond the cashiers into the doors to skate which caused a melee. Extended hours were denied because of noise, parking problems, and the hangouts outside. Pretty much both good and bad occurred at this rink. 7 roller rinks in that city area and they wanted USA? Wow.
Like every other rinks and fads, it was dying in mid-1980s until in-line skates were becoming popular and that gave another life for the rink till it could not live anymore. They ceased in 1993 and the storefront became an home improvement store in 1997.
The interior was unique in design that the rink had guardrails around the center with carpet in the center so that there would be no skating in center. It was designed for skaters to rest inside the rink rather than outside of the rink floor itself. It had benches as well along with posts to support the roof. it was designed for safety reason for beginners to practice on that floor. That concept had flaws because there were no practice floor at that rink except that center and the carpet made it harder for anyone to roll. Off rinks at any rinks are designed to slow down skaters on purpose. That was the case with USA rink in the center of their rink in Greece, NY, a suburb of Rochester, NY.
This is one of the rinks I skated. I was there once in fall 1988 when I was enrolled at a college in Rochester, NY.
UPDATE--
More information I received from a skater/former employee of USA in Rochester and later, worked with Spinners in Macedon, NY. This is what he has to say very neat information...
I worked for USA Skates at 1250 West Ridge Road in the late 90's. We knew USA was closing because my wife worked for an asbestos removal company and had gotten a contract for USA's address. As you may know USA was a corporation with multiple rinks, they never let any of the employees and managers know they were losing the lease. I tried to warn them, but they wouldn't listen to a young rink rat... Miss those places and people like crazy, those nights were priceless.
Ah, corporate act this way! Many businesses do that without follow the law that was passed after USA Skate closed that requires businesses to inform employees that they are to shut down and give them notices ahead of time or provide job training. This law called, WARN Act. But that law only applies to businesses that has 100 or more employees. Not less. Skating rinks are exempted from this law. (The Balance Career - WARN Act)
I am sure the employees and management were sorry for not listening to this former employee who knew what was coming and thanks to his wife who got a contract.
Asbestos are not allowed on any new built from 1979 on. So, any priors that built before 1979 must have it specialty removed before demolish or renovate into something else. This is why his wife got a contract to remove asbestos for that place. (EPA Law) I know this from training when I was working for a defunct department store since the building where I worked was built in 1950s/60s at a then shopping strip turned a shopping mall (now a dead mall).
Rink Size: N/A Floor: N/A Floor Layout: N/A
Building Size: N/A Built: N/A
Type of Building: Free Span Steel Storefront Building.
Roof: Flat
Acres: N/A
Operational: 1976 to 1993.
Reason for Closure: Corporate's decision to close because of losing lease contract. (Gave no warnings to employee and management).
Wanted: Information regarding more photos. Especially interior, color pictures, exact dates.
Sources: Democrat and Chronicle;
Date of issue: January 2019 Update: 23 April 2021.
© 2019 - 2020 Dead Rinks. All Rights Reserved. (revised)
This United Skates of America in Greece was a franchise that they had rinks all around the United States.
It opened at the start of the Disco craze and skating craze in 1976 and it ran until it closed in 1993. It was so bad with the crowd waiting for the rink to open that people pushed people into the front door that was made of glass. Pair of glass doors and then further pushed by cashiers. it was chaotic. Unlike with Empire Skates in 1978 that Empire Skates in Dewitt, NY was clever not to have that incident by opening their side emergency doors to allow skaters in.
However, it was not the case with U.S.A. in Greece because of the pushing through the doors.
They had adult night skate on Mondays and they had to turn away late comers because they had to limit to 600 skaters for that night because adults did not like the crowd and needed more room. Likely those wanted to roller disco rather than the children and teens just skating around the rink over and over. Usually about 700 would arrive. The adult night skate had 700 people so they had to turn away a hundred give or take. One time they had a thousand people and they were upset and pushed other skaters up front to smash into the glass doors and even went beyond the cashiers into the doors to skate which caused a melee. Extended hours were denied because of noise, parking problems, and the hangouts outside. Pretty much both good and bad occurred at this rink. 7 roller rinks in that city area and they wanted USA? Wow.
Like every other rinks and fads, it was dying in mid-1980s until in-line skates were becoming popular and that gave another life for the rink till it could not live anymore. They ceased in 1993 and the storefront became an home improvement store in 1997.
The interior was unique in design that the rink had guardrails around the center with carpet in the center so that there would be no skating in center. It was designed for skaters to rest inside the rink rather than outside of the rink floor itself. It had benches as well along with posts to support the roof. it was designed for safety reason for beginners to practice on that floor. That concept had flaws because there were no practice floor at that rink except that center and the carpet made it harder for anyone to roll. Off rinks at any rinks are designed to slow down skaters on purpose. That was the case with USA rink in the center of their rink in Greece, NY, a suburb of Rochester, NY.
This is one of the rinks I skated. I was there once in fall 1988 when I was enrolled at a college in Rochester, NY.
UPDATE--
More information I received from a skater/former employee of USA in Rochester and later, worked with Spinners in Macedon, NY. This is what he has to say very neat information...
I worked for USA Skates at 1250 West Ridge Road in the late 90's. We knew USA was closing because my wife worked for an asbestos removal company and had gotten a contract for USA's address. As you may know USA was a corporation with multiple rinks, they never let any of the employees and managers know they were losing the lease. I tried to warn them, but they wouldn't listen to a young rink rat... Miss those places and people like crazy, those nights were priceless.
Ah, corporate act this way! Many businesses do that without follow the law that was passed after USA Skate closed that requires businesses to inform employees that they are to shut down and give them notices ahead of time or provide job training. This law called, WARN Act. But that law only applies to businesses that has 100 or more employees. Not less. Skating rinks are exempted from this law. (The Balance Career - WARN Act)
I am sure the employees and management were sorry for not listening to this former employee who knew what was coming and thanks to his wife who got a contract.
Asbestos are not allowed on any new built from 1979 on. So, any priors that built before 1979 must have it specialty removed before demolish or renovate into something else. This is why his wife got a contract to remove asbestos for that place. (EPA Law) I know this from training when I was working for a defunct department store since the building where I worked was built in 1950s/60s at a then shopping strip turned a shopping mall (now a dead mall).
Rink Size: N/A Floor: N/A Floor Layout: N/A
Building Size: N/A Built: N/A
Type of Building: Free Span Steel Storefront Building.
Roof: Flat
Acres: N/A
Operational: 1976 to 1993.
Reason for Closure: Corporate's decision to close because of losing lease contract. (Gave no warnings to employee and management).
Wanted: Information regarding more photos. Especially interior, color pictures, exact dates.
Sources: Democrat and Chronicle;
Date of issue: January 2019 Update: 23 April 2021.
© 2019 - 2020 Dead Rinks. All Rights Reserved. (revised)