Roller Disco in Crown Heights?

dailyheights

Over on noisefootprint: "Has anyone been to the roller rink in Crown Heights, Brooklyn? It's called Empire -- Empire Roller Rink, Empire Roller Disco, and Empire Rollerdrome are all names I've seen it listed by. It's said to be Brooklyn's last large-scale roller rink."

According to Place Matters, "The 30,000 square feet of rink, one of the last of its kind in Brooklyn, was opened in the 1930s by Henry and Hector Abrami, two brothers from Crown Heights. During the 1950s, the rink also offered miniature golf and bowling. But it was the disco '70s and Bill Butler, 'godfather of roller disco,' that made Empire famous across the nation. Butler fashioned a skating technique called the 'Brooklyn Bounce' that became the roller-skating rage. Still operating after all these decades, the Empire Roller Disco remains popular today by rolling with the times."

daveb

I know a chick that's the captain of one of the all-girl rollerderby teams that plays there.

dailyheights

Kelly Kwedar?



Kelly Kwedar of Prospect Heights runs a cancer clinic at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, but at night the petite redhead trades her slacks for fishnets and skates with painted fire decals," says the Daily News.

I was never one of those people to push in the subway, but now I'm
willing to take charge ...I can take down a girl twice my size and have her make a really terrible noise.'

"The fearsome ladies, reviving a sport [roller derby] that last flourished in the city in the 1950s, are gearing up to do it again when the league kicks off its season in April."

Follow this link to a slideshow courtesy of Ortgeist courtesy of Ortgeist.

daveb

dailyheights wrote: Kelly Kwedar?

Suzy Hotrod, Queens of Pain captain

Used to be with the Brooklyn Bombshells

candicissima

I used to go there all the time when I was a kid! As did my parents when they were teenagers. My aunt use to live nearby.

carnivore

Candicissima wrote: I used to go there all the time when I was a kid! As did my parents when they were teenagers. My aunt use to live nearby.

My friends and I used to go to Roll-A-Palace in Sheepshead Bay. My 3rd grade birthday party was there!

jack

Carnivore wrote: [quote=Candicissima]I used to go there all the time when I was a kid! As did my parents when they were teenagers. My aunt use to live nearby.

My friends and I used to go to Roll-A-Palace in Sheepshead Bay. My 3rd grade birthday party was there!

Damn, the Roll-A-Palace brings back memories. Too many elementary school trips there to count.

jose

I went there a couple of years ago. Had a blast. I recommend it. Although you should know it can be a bit sketchy.

medusa

I sense possibilities for the next Dailyheights get-together.

carnivore

Do they allow in-line skates?

t-fal

god i haven't rollerskated since the 80's! i was a total rink rat back in those days.

bluedove

Me too! Like every birthday party I went to for a few years was at the roller rink. I distinctly remember skating to "Thriller" as they played the video on a big drop-down screen. Also lots of sheet cake and limp pizza. Awesome.

t-fal

all that...and ms. pacman.

bluedove

Totally! Man, I can practically smell the floor wax and sweaty socks...

t-fal

oooh and that strnage siclian style pizza with cheese that was possibly made out of rubberbands! i used to go to sports-o-rama in mattyhole ny. and they even had a disco/breakdancing room there. i used to get so upset every time yes' owner of a lonely heart would come onto the rotation. that song would NEVER end, and i wanted to hear prince.

cathleen

Where exactly is this place?

anonymous

Subject: 200 empire blvd.

empire btw bedord & rogers

t-fal

i recall some teen girls discussing whether or not to go to that place and joking about whether or not one wanted to get stabbed...is it really that bad?

anonymous

My family owned empire until my grandmother passed away 7 years ago. Im glad to see that people still go there, I know it meant a lot to her and my entire family.

ltjbukem

yes, i'm also interested if it's a dangerous place to go also..