Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA. Source: Web Archives.
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA. Gorgeous day! Source: LoopNet.
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA. Evening in the fall. Um, I see one lights out. Source: Google.
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA. You can see natural wood for exterior wall above the then popular Cinderblocks grooves. I believe the wall was painted because you can see the Tannish color shadow seen on the left of the doors where the orange trashcans were. Source: Google.
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA. Close up of sign. You can see natural wood for exterior wall above the then popular Cinderblocks grooves. Source: Google.
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA. Both photos showed Concession stands, machines, and eating area. 1970s theme except for the carpet, of course. Source: Google.
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA. Yellow laminated dinette sets which brings you back to the 70s. Peace! Source: Google.
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA. Hey Happy Birthday Alana! Birthday skate sign. Source: Google.
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA. I know it was Christmas time but the color.. the mood reminds me of the 1970s. What you think? The décor also helps set you feel like the 1970s! Source: Google.
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA. They have another floor-- that is practice floor. That is great it has Maple floor instead of concrete. Love the stripes on the wall at this rink, really. Very relaxing and straight forward. I believe this is a Retro décor to connect to the 1960s-70s look. However, you can see the age of it. Paint pealing off on the left side wall. Source: Google.
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA. A little smuge but beautiful though! Source: Google.
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA. Fresh coating on the rink just in May 2022! Source: Valley Skating Center Facebook.
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA. Noticed the floor is Rotunda. A rare beautiful layout. Christmas time since the Christmas lights. Source: Google.
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA. Photo art. Source: Google.
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA. Gorgeous! Source: Google.
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA. c.2003 to 2011 format Source: Web archives.
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA. 2011 to 2022 format. Source: Web archives.
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA. Source: Valley Skating Center Facebook. 02 September 2022.
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA. Source: Valley Skating Center Facebook. 30 August 2022.
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA. Source: Valley Skating Center Facebook. 02 September 2022.
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA
Roll R Way Donora 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA (Active, new, Alive Rink)
Roll R Way Donora 590 Galiffa Dr, Donora, PA (Active, new, Alive Rink)
Valley Skating Center 590 Galiffa Drive, Donora, Pennsylvania was a rink for 39 good years and finally was sold on 02 September 2022. It will become Roll R Way Donora because they had another rink Roll R Way rinks both dead and I am sure alive as well.
Floyd “Winnie” Shoub built the rink in 1983.
Linda and John Miner broke ground in February 1983 for Valley Skating Center in Donora. It opened for business eight months later. After a strong first year, some lean years followed before the rink took off by 1986.
Linda Miner owned and operated the rink till she sold it in September 2022 to the new owners, the same owners of Roll R Way Donora would. Linda lived in the 2nd floor in an apartment. Linda attempted to sell the rink since 2016! Finally she was able to sell it in 2022! SIX years of attempting to sell.
I am not sure about Roll R Skate since someone mention that the previous owner owned Roll R Skate. Just wanted to know.
130 feet by 230 feet in size with an 185 by 85 foot skating floor. First opened in 1983. The rink hosted the Donora Invitational Skating Championships, an artistic roller skating competition, for more than 25 years.
Back story...
Linda Miner's father owned a couple of rinks including he built one in Washington, Pennsylvania, the Arena Roller Rink in Washington, Pennsylvania. However, he lost that rink due to urban redevelopment (Eminent Domain?) and the Washington County Redevelopment Authority moved Floyd Shoup's business to the Roll-R-Skate rink in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. This forcing to relocate occurred when, "[i] was [during] the middle of the disco era and the people literally rolled in, especially during the weekends," [Linda} Miner said.
I believe he had the name changed from Arena to Roll-R-Skate because of the relocation.
The Roll-R-Skate rink was located behind the current McDonald's. The fast food restaurant features a statue of Canonsburg native Bobby Vinton.
"Bobby Vinton met his wife in my father's rink," Linda said. "(Years later), my mom and dad were at Bobby Vinton's Blue Velvet Theater in Branson, Missouri. He stopped his show and went into the audience and told the people how he met his wife in dad's rink."
Bobby Vinton later sang in her father's rink, which also attracted big bands like the Lombardo Brothers and singers such as Chubby Checker and Patty LaBelle.
The Interior.
Valley Skating Center: 130 feet by 230 feet in size with an 185 by 85 foot skating floor. Beautiful Rotunda Maple wood floor. High quality (as I can see in photos) and they took good care of and because of the Donora Invitational Skating Championship held annually.
The lights and the ever popular Starburst lights with Disco Mirror Ball displayed on the ceiling above the skating rink. The wall wrap around is very refreshing 1970s retro design. The mural is quite Retro because that look did not go out of style. You would see it says ROLLER SKATING with multi colors as it is rows on each wall! Each row has different color. I cannot describe it but seeing pictures above are worth thousands of words. That would help.
Sometimes when they play music, they turn lights into very heavy Orangy and Yellowy aura about the lights. Again, photos will show you and it does make you feel like you are actually in 1970s instead of 2022! This rink is excellent vehicle as a movie set if any filmmaker wants to do a 1970s film. Too bad John Travolta could have had made a Roller Disco movie after Grease, Saturday Night Live, and Urban Cowboy. They could have featured one with him. Oh well. They did have Patrick Swayze version has later in Skateland USA, he did Dirty dancing (I personally not like that movie title at all). They also had one with real life skater, Jim Bray in a Linda Blair movie, Roller Boogie.
One thing though, John Travolta's Grease co-star, the Late Olivia Newton-John was in Xandau.
I love this interior the best so far of this year on any rinks I worked on. Tops.
3,000 Square Feet Apartment is on the second floor above the front section of the rink.
Roll R Way Donora: Appearance will be revealed in November 2022. I pray they keep the appearance the same! It is not tiring!
The Exterior.
Valley Skating Center: The appearance for this unique building had very much of 1960s or 1970s with Rustic Exposed wood wall and Cinderblocks walls as well. The front left side is quite rustic looking while the 2/3rd of the rest of the building is typical Cinderblocks Gabled Roofed Arena like. The Cinderblocks part are White. The appearance making it looked more like a 1970s arena or similar to a convention center. Only that part. They even have raised ground to make the rink building appeared sink in further but actually the sidewalk toward the front door is relatively flat as horizonal. A lot of grass surrounded the building and parking lot away from it. This appeared very "Green" landscape architecturally when it was built. No one thought this way but I can tell.
Roll R Way Donora: Appearance will be revealed in November 2022. Stay tuned.
The Stats:
Rink Size: 85' x 185' Floor: Non-painted Polyurethane coated Maple. Floor Layout: Rotunda.
Building Size: 28,970 SF. (130' x 230') Built: N/A. Renovations: May have done few times and in September to November 2022. Demolished: Still standing.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Steel - Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gabled.
Acres: 2.8678 AC.
Organ: N/A.
10 Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Duck Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Candlestick Bowling Lanes: None.
Pocket Billiard Tables: N/A.
Amusement Rides: None.
Driving Range Slots: None.
Miniature Golf Course: None.
Arcade: (Number unknown)
Skee-Ball: N/A.
Fascination: None.
Restaurant: None.
Cocktail lounge: None.
Laser Tag: None.
Bounce Houses: None.
Bumper Cars: None.
Go-Kart: None.
Motel: None.
Swimming Pool: None.
Jungle Gym Playground: None.
Skate Park: None.
Operated: (Overall)-- October 1982 to 27 August 2022; November 2022 to future.
Valley Skating Center: October 1982 to 27 August 2022.
Roll R Way Donora: New owner and operator as of 02 September 2022.
Reason for Closure: N/A.
Valley Skating Center: Needs to retire and relocate to Florida to take care of her mother.
Roll R Way Donora: None since they just purchased the Valley Skating Center.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also, photos/articles. Also send me any updates such as reopening, sold, name changes, or whatsoever occurred with this rink or any rinks. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation©. Before you email, please state this rink name AND THE CITY AND STATE (or COUNTRY) so I can know where or what rink you are talking about. Thank you. We welcome both active and defunct rinks.
Sources:
Facebook - Valley Skate Center (Donora)
LoopNet
SkateLog.
Web Archives.
The Herald Standard - Christopher Buckley; 27 January 2016. Trying to sell.
Observer - Reporter - Paul Paterra, 22 Aug 2022. Sold.
Date of issue: 14 September 2022.
For office use only: 21.
Worth to visit:
None. Closed for now, but KEEP EYE OUT FOR REOPENING THIS NOVEMBER!
DISCLAIMER:
International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© (formerly known as Dead-Rinks) and Mark Falso are not responsible for your physical and legal injuries you may have caused. We do not endorse such illegal activities including breaking and entry of former rinks, malls, abandoned buildings, etc. 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.
Dead Rinks is now International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© because many former names have become new names at the same rinks that are still active and due to much confusion, We have decided that International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© fits better for all rinks including defunct, closed, inactive, rebooted, and rinks that are still active today. For short on this site, it is International Roller Skating Rinks History© Bear with us as we change the entire site page by page each day. Thank you for understanding.
Second of all: The contents including words and photos above on this page and/or on any pages are purely educational entertainment purposes only. I provide what information from other websites, skaters, and operators and it may end up with different results between two (or more) sources. It is not our responsible for errors we caused. All sources are shown on each page. All opinions and statements of mine are also stated and are for purely educational entertainment only.
Rinks that are closed are considered dead. Rinks that are/were sold and with new management names new name(s), the former are considered dead. Previous operating rink that closed but came back years later, are considered dead because the reopening is considered rebooted, nothing to do with the former. Since we are rebooted to allow alive rinks, active rinks, we welcome those active rinks as well. It will be described.
As for “For Office Only” is for my reasoning and private legal reason for that.
Any music associated with any YouTube or any other videos provided on International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© are not the property of Dead-Rinks therefore we do not own the rights to the music.
All photos you submitted or we retrieved become property of International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© and are watermarked but they are credited to you (or where the source is from). Thank you for understanding. To understand more about this, please go to this page: Disclaimer.
© Copyrighted by International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation©, an International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 to 16. Deut. 32:7.
Floyd “Winnie” Shoub built the rink in 1983.
Linda and John Miner broke ground in February 1983 for Valley Skating Center in Donora. It opened for business eight months later. After a strong first year, some lean years followed before the rink took off by 1986.
Linda Miner owned and operated the rink till she sold it in September 2022 to the new owners, the same owners of Roll R Way Donora would. Linda lived in the 2nd floor in an apartment. Linda attempted to sell the rink since 2016! Finally she was able to sell it in 2022! SIX years of attempting to sell.
I am not sure about Roll R Skate since someone mention that the previous owner owned Roll R Skate. Just wanted to know.
130 feet by 230 feet in size with an 185 by 85 foot skating floor. First opened in 1983. The rink hosted the Donora Invitational Skating Championships, an artistic roller skating competition, for more than 25 years.
Back story...
Linda Miner's father owned a couple of rinks including he built one in Washington, Pennsylvania, the Arena Roller Rink in Washington, Pennsylvania. However, he lost that rink due to urban redevelopment (Eminent Domain?) and the Washington County Redevelopment Authority moved Floyd Shoup's business to the Roll-R-Skate rink in Canonsburg, Pennsylvania. This forcing to relocate occurred when, "[i] was [during] the middle of the disco era and the people literally rolled in, especially during the weekends," [Linda} Miner said.
I believe he had the name changed from Arena to Roll-R-Skate because of the relocation.
The Roll-R-Skate rink was located behind the current McDonald's. The fast food restaurant features a statue of Canonsburg native Bobby Vinton.
"Bobby Vinton met his wife in my father's rink," Linda said. "(Years later), my mom and dad were at Bobby Vinton's Blue Velvet Theater in Branson, Missouri. He stopped his show and went into the audience and told the people how he met his wife in dad's rink."
Bobby Vinton later sang in her father's rink, which also attracted big bands like the Lombardo Brothers and singers such as Chubby Checker and Patty LaBelle.
The Interior.
Valley Skating Center: 130 feet by 230 feet in size with an 185 by 85 foot skating floor. Beautiful Rotunda Maple wood floor. High quality (as I can see in photos) and they took good care of and because of the Donora Invitational Skating Championship held annually.
The lights and the ever popular Starburst lights with Disco Mirror Ball displayed on the ceiling above the skating rink. The wall wrap around is very refreshing 1970s retro design. The mural is quite Retro because that look did not go out of style. You would see it says ROLLER SKATING with multi colors as it is rows on each wall! Each row has different color. I cannot describe it but seeing pictures above are worth thousands of words. That would help.
Sometimes when they play music, they turn lights into very heavy Orangy and Yellowy aura about the lights. Again, photos will show you and it does make you feel like you are actually in 1970s instead of 2022! This rink is excellent vehicle as a movie set if any filmmaker wants to do a 1970s film. Too bad John Travolta could have had made a Roller Disco movie after Grease, Saturday Night Live, and Urban Cowboy. They could have featured one with him. Oh well. They did have Patrick Swayze version has later in Skateland USA, he did Dirty dancing (I personally not like that movie title at all). They also had one with real life skater, Jim Bray in a Linda Blair movie, Roller Boogie.
One thing though, John Travolta's Grease co-star, the Late Olivia Newton-John was in Xandau.
I love this interior the best so far of this year on any rinks I worked on. Tops.
3,000 Square Feet Apartment is on the second floor above the front section of the rink.
Roll R Way Donora: Appearance will be revealed in November 2022. I pray they keep the appearance the same! It is not tiring!
The Exterior.
Valley Skating Center: The appearance for this unique building had very much of 1960s or 1970s with Rustic Exposed wood wall and Cinderblocks walls as well. The front left side is quite rustic looking while the 2/3rd of the rest of the building is typical Cinderblocks Gabled Roofed Arena like. The Cinderblocks part are White. The appearance making it looked more like a 1970s arena or similar to a convention center. Only that part. They even have raised ground to make the rink building appeared sink in further but actually the sidewalk toward the front door is relatively flat as horizonal. A lot of grass surrounded the building and parking lot away from it. This appeared very "Green" landscape architecturally when it was built. No one thought this way but I can tell.
Roll R Way Donora: Appearance will be revealed in November 2022. Stay tuned.
The Stats:
Rink Size: 85' x 185' Floor: Non-painted Polyurethane coated Maple. Floor Layout: Rotunda.
Building Size: 28,970 SF. (130' x 230') Built: N/A. Renovations: May have done few times and in September to November 2022. Demolished: Still standing.
Type of Building: Free-Span Steel Trusses Steel - Walled Warehouse - like Building.
Roof: Gabled.
Acres: 2.8678 AC.
Organ: N/A.
10 Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Duck Pins Bowling Lanes: None.
Candlestick Bowling Lanes: None.
Pocket Billiard Tables: N/A.
Amusement Rides: None.
Driving Range Slots: None.
Miniature Golf Course: None.
Arcade: (Number unknown)
Skee-Ball: N/A.
Fascination: None.
Restaurant: None.
Cocktail lounge: None.
Laser Tag: None.
Bounce Houses: None.
Bumper Cars: None.
Go-Kart: None.
Motel: None.
Swimming Pool: None.
Jungle Gym Playground: None.
Skate Park: None.
Operated: (Overall)-- October 1982 to 27 August 2022; November 2022 to future.
Valley Skating Center: October 1982 to 27 August 2022.
Roll R Way Donora: New owner and operator as of 02 September 2022.
Reason for Closure: N/A.
Valley Skating Center: Needs to retire and relocate to Florida to take care of her mother.
Roll R Way Donora: None since they just purchased the Valley Skating Center.
Wanted: Information regarding exact dates of open/closed, why closed, size of rink, rink materials. Also, photos/articles. Also send me any updates such as reopening, sold, name changes, or whatsoever occurred with this rink or any rinks. Anyone knows or have photos, please let me know by emailing at International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation©. Before you email, please state this rink name AND THE CITY AND STATE (or COUNTRY) so I can know where or what rink you are talking about. Thank you. We welcome both active and defunct rinks.
Sources:
Facebook - Valley Skate Center (Donora)
LoopNet
SkateLog.
Web Archives.
The Herald Standard - Christopher Buckley; 27 January 2016. Trying to sell.
Observer - Reporter - Paul Paterra, 22 Aug 2022. Sold.
Date of issue: 14 September 2022.
For office use only: 21.
Worth to visit:
None. Closed for now, but KEEP EYE OUT FOR REOPENING THIS NOVEMBER!
DISCLAIMER:
International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© (formerly known as Dead-Rinks) and Mark Falso are not responsible for your physical and legal injuries you may have caused. We do not endorse such illegal activities including breaking and entry of former rinks, malls, abandoned buildings, etc. 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.
Dead Rinks is now International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© because many former names have become new names at the same rinks that are still active and due to much confusion, We have decided that International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© fits better for all rinks including defunct, closed, inactive, rebooted, and rinks that are still active today. For short on this site, it is International Roller Skating Rinks History© Bear with us as we change the entire site page by page each day. Thank you for understanding.
Second of all: The contents including words and photos above on this page and/or on any pages are purely educational entertainment purposes only. I provide what information from other websites, skaters, and operators and it may end up with different results between two (or more) sources. It is not our responsible for errors we caused. All sources are shown on each page. All opinions and statements of mine are also stated and are for purely educational entertainment only.
Rinks that are closed are considered dead. Rinks that are/were sold and with new management names new name(s), the former are considered dead. Previous operating rink that closed but came back years later, are considered dead because the reopening is considered rebooted, nothing to do with the former. Since we are rebooted to allow alive rinks, active rinks, we welcome those active rinks as well. It will be described.
As for “For Office Only” is for my reasoning and private legal reason for that.
Any music associated with any YouTube or any other videos provided on International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© are not the property of Dead-Rinks therefore we do not own the rights to the music.
All photos you submitted or we retrieved become property of International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation© and are watermarked but they are credited to you (or where the source is from). Thank you for understanding. To understand more about this, please go to this page: Disclaimer.
© Copyrighted by International Roller Skating Rinks History Foundation©, an International Commercial Archeology Preservation© Group. All Rights Reserved. Jn 3:3 to 16. Deut. 32:7.