The Empire Roller Disco was a 30,000-square-foot

roller rink A roller rink is a hard surface usually consisting of hardwood or concrete, used for roller skating or inline skating. This includes roller hockey, speed skating, roller derby, and individual recreational skating. Roller rinks can be located in ...

located at 200 Empire Blvd., in the Crown Heights neighborhood of

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, New York. The birthplace of

roller disco A roller disco is a combined discothèque and Roller rink, skating rink, where attendees are encouraged to participate in roller skating while dancing, or to observe skilled dancers from the sidelines. Quad skates and (more recently) inline skate ...

, it was the first venue to showcase jammin', a skate style invented by its attendee and employee Bill "Mr. Charisma" Butler.

History

In 1941, the Swanson family opened the Empire Roller Skating Center in a former garage across the street from

Ebbets Field Ebbets Field was a Major League Baseball stadium in the Flatbush, Brooklyn, Flatbush section of Brooklyn, New York City, New York. It is mainly known for having been the home of the History of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Brooklyn Dodgers baseball tea ...

. By the 1940s, the rink (renamed as the Brooklyn Rollerdome) hosted skate and beauty contests in addition to regular skate sessions. In 1956, Henry and Hector Abrami became the new owners and operators.Russo, Tom. (2017)''. Chicago Rink Rats: The Roller Capital in Its Heyday''. United States, History Press, 83. Empire Rollerdrome's slogan, appearing on a postcard, was "Home of the 'Miracle Maple'". This referred to its special maple wood flooring, which created a smooth surface for roller skaters. In the 1960s, roller skating choreographer Bill Butler created a new style of roller skating called jammin', involving complex choreography. Skater Gloria McCarthy, whose father owned the rink, started a "Bounce" night to showcase Charisma's new style. In the 1970s, the rink became the Empire Roller Disco, transitioning from an organ to a sound system operated by a

disc jockey A disc jockey, more commonly abbreviated as DJ, is a person who plays recorded music for an audience. Types of DJs include Radio personality, radio DJs (who host programs on music radio stations), club DJs (who work at nightclubs or music fes ...

Warehouse A warehouse is a building for storing goods. Warehouses are used by manufacturers, importers, exporters, wholesalers, transport businesses, customs, etc. They are usually large plain buildings in industrial parks on the rural–urban fringe, out ...

Paradise Garage Paradise Garage, also known as "the Garage" or the "Gay-rage", was a New York City discotheque notable in the history of dance and pop music, as well as LGBT and nightclub cultures. The club was founded by sole proprietor Michael Brody, and ...

Club Zanzibar Club Zanzibar was a dance club that opened in 1979 at 430 Broad Street in Newark, New Jersey. Its presence in Downtown Newark was noted for its influence on house music and garage house genres and scene. Club Zanzibar, along with other gay and ...

).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. By 1979, Butler became the rink's instructor, performer, and creative consultant. A photograph shows Butler at a

Casablanca Records Casablanca Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and operated under Republic Records. Under its founder Neil Bogart, Casablanca was most successful during the disco era of the mid to late 1970s. The label focuses ...

party at Empire, instructing Cher by leading her by the hand. His "stylish tricks...made the mpire Roller Discoa HOT destination", as it "drew storied celebrities away from the snooty uptown clubs (

Studio 54 Studio 54 is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater and former nightclub at 254 West 54th Street (Manhattan), 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Opened as the Gallo Opera House in 1927, it served ...

) down to the warm & accepting Brooklyn Rink". The most notable celebrity guest was

Cher Cher ( ; born Cheryl Sarkisian, May 20, 1946) is an American singer, actress and television personality. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Goddess of Pop", she is known for her Androgyny, androgynous contralto voice, Music an ...

, who hosted ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

'''s Disco Forum skate party at the Empire Roller Disco that year. She also hosted the ''

'' Magazine Disco Forum skate party at the Empire Roller Disco. Gloria Abrami McCarthy operated the rink from 1980-1998. From 1998-2007, United Skates of America operated the rink. In April 2007, Empire Roller Disco closed permanently.

Legacy

Roller skater Bill "Mr. Charisma" Butler is credited with introducing and popularizing the

roller skating Roller skating is the act of travelling on surfaces with roller skates. It is a recreation, recreational activity, a sport, and a form of transportation. Roller rinks and skate parks are built for roller skating, though it also takes place on s ...

dance styles of jamming known as "roller rocking" and "Brooklyn Bounce" at Empire in the late 1950s to the 1980s.Reaven, M., Zeitlin, S. (2006). ''Hidden New York: A Guide to Places That Matter.'' Rutgers University Press, 114.

The City Reliquary The City Reliquary is a not-for-profit community museum and civic organization located in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. The museum traces the history of New York City's five boroughs with its exhibitions of cultural ephemera and relics. Besides a per ...

praised the rink's cultural impact in a 2023 exhibit:

n the late '70s and early '80s,Empire Roller Disco became a cultural epicenter, nurturing skating styles and hosting competitions that launched the careers of many skating legends such as Maurice Gatewood, Roger Green, and Pat the Cat! It also served as a breeding ground for DJ superstars and propelled the rink to unprecedented heights. One of the biggest stars was DJ Big Bob (Robert Clayton), an icon in the Skate Music scene and a renowned skater himself.

Celebrities such as

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her Model (person), modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves St ...

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...

, and

Olivia Newton-John Dame Olivia Newton-John (26 September 1948 – 8 August 2022) was a British and Australian singer and actress. With over 100 million records sold, Newton-John was one of the List of best-selling music artists#100 million to 119 million record ...

have visited Empire to skate. 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.

References

{{Coord, 40.663427, -73.955376, format=dms, type:landmark_region:US-NY, display=title Roller skating rinks 1941 establishments in New York City 2007 disestablishments in New York City Crown Heights, Brooklyn