The Empire Roller Disco was a 30,000-square-foot roller rink located at 200 Empire Blvd. in the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York.
History
editIn 1941, the Swanson family opened the Empire Roller Skating Center in a former garage across the street from Ebbets Field. [1][2] By the 1940s, the rink (renamed as the Brooklyn Rollerdome) hosted skate and beauty contests in addition to regular skate sessions.[3] In 1956, Henry and Hector Abrami became the new owners and operators.[4][5] In the 1970s, the rink became the Empire Roller Disco, transitioning from an organ to a sound system operated by a disc jockey designed by audio engineer Richard Long (also the designer of the sound systems for the Warehouse, Paradise Garage, Club Zanzibar).[6] Gloria Abrami McCarthy operated the rink from 1980-1998. From 1998-2007, United Skates of America operated the rink.[5] In April 2007, Empire Roller Disco closed permanently.[7][1]
Cultural impact
editEmpire is often credited as the birthplace of roller disco. Roller skater Bill Butler “The Godfather of Roller Disco" is credited with introducing and popularizing the roller skating dance styles of jamming known as "roller rocking" and "Brooklyn Bounce" at Empire in the late 1950s to the 1980s.[8][9][10][11]
Celebrities such as Prince, Grace Jones, Madonna, and Olivia Newton-John visited Empire to skate.[9][12] In 1979, Cher hosted the Billboard Magazine Disco Forum skate party at Empire Roller Disco.[13]
Skate DJs at Empire popularized roller skating to R&B, disco, and hip hop. Notable skate DJ Big Bob (Robert Clayton) worked at Empire for over 20 years.[14][9][6]
References
edit- ^ a b Bleyer, Jennifer (April 22, 2007). "The Last Lace-Up". The New York Times. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
- ^ Saraniero, Nicole (May 5, 2019). "The Legacy of NYC's Empire Roller Rink". Untapped Cities. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
- ^ "Vikki Stappers Dugan 1948 roller skating queen". The Brooklyn Daily Eagle. March 21, 1949. p. 22. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
- ^ Roman, Sabrina. "Patrick D. Pagnano: In Full Swing". Metal Magazine (in Spanish). Retrieved 2024-07-09.
- ^ a b Russo, Tom. (2017). Chicago Rink Rats: The Roller Capital in Its Heyday. United States, History Press, 83.
- ^ a b Disciple, DJ, and Kronk, Henry. (2023). The Beat, the Scene, the Sound: A DJ's Journey Through the Rise, Fall, and Rebirth of House Music in New York City. United States, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 40.
- ^ "Last boro rink set to hang up its skates". New York Daily News. March 9, 2007. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
- ^ Carmel, Julia (December 30, 2020). "Meet Bill Butler, the Godfather of Roller Disco". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
- ^ a b c Reaven, M., Zeitlin, S. (2006). Hidden New York: A Guide to Places That Matter. Rutgers University Press, 114.
- ^ Saraniero, Nicole (May 19, 2023). "The Legacy of NYC's Empire Roller Rink". Untapped New York. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
- ^ Thomas, Andy (December 9, 2020). "How NYC's '70s roller-discos rivaled established clubs". wax-poetics. Retrieved 2024-07-09.
- ^ Ortiz, Lori. (2011) Disco Dance. ABC-CLIO, 127.
- ^ Bego, Mark (2001). Cher: If You Believe. Taylor Trade Publishing. ISBN 9780815411536.
- ^ McDermott, Matt (September 3, 2019). "Soul on wheels: How music for the roller rink impacted the club · Feature ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2024-07-09.