Just because it’s not winter, doesn’t mean you can’t skate, so push the ice skates to the back of the cupboard and bring forth the roller skates instead.
The creative folk at Downtown Santa Monica, Inc. (DTSM) have used the same resources at the same location — 1324 5th Street — as the winter seasonal spectacular Ice at Santa Monica and built a roller skating rink. The significance of this is far greater since to begin with, this is the very first time this has ever been done in Santa Monica and secondly because neighboring Venice Beach has become the unofficial roller skating capital of the world.
The project is the brainchild of Jeremy Ferguson, Operations & Placemaking Director for DTSM and Matt Kessinger, Project Director at Willy Bietak Productions, who conceived the idea when they were building the ice rink last October.
"It made obvious and perfect sense," said Ferguson, adding, "We did some research and discovered that no one had ever built a seasonal outdoor roller rink in Santa Monica before … People have talked about the potential of having a roller rink for years, so I do appreciate all the groundwork that was laid before me to help make this possible.
"Nearly every person we spoke with lit up with excitement and shared with us their own skating story. I’m so excited to produce an activation already welcomed by so many in the community."
Ferguson explains that with one or two obvious exceptions, almost the entire set up from the ice rink is being reused, because the intricate wooden support structure constructed to accommodate the ice rink and keep everything spirit level-straight was designed and built in such a way that it could be easily disassembled, stored and reassembled. "Just like moving a jigsaw puzzle, albeit quite a big one," Ferguson said, adding, "And Matt [Kessinger] basically designed that jigsaw puzzle … His knowledge and experience from working on other, similar projects for Willy Bietak Productions, who specialize in this kind of thing, cannot be overstated."
"We at DTSM are especially appreciative of the Santa Monica City Council for approving the pilot program that allows us to operate this roller rink. We would like to extend a special thanks to Vice Mayor Lana Negrete and Councilmember Christine Parra for leading this effort and for originating the idea," DTSM CEO Andrew Thomas told the Daily Press.
The admission cost, including skate rental, is $18 after tax and a session is booked for two hours. However, if there's space available and the rink isn't at capacity, you can stay on as long as you want. Lockers, socks and a party tent are also available to rent or purchase. There are five time slots available to book, 12pm, 2pm, 4pm, 6pm and 8pm, to stagger numbers a little.
"We cater to the people who like the roller rink atmosphere and we highly doubt we need to boot people off the rink. There's no possibility of booking more than rink capacity for any two-hour block of time and we've found that most people wind down their skating after 60 to 90 minutes. We'd need to have multiple sessions sold out back to back to get to the point of moving people off the rink," said Ferguson.
"What we’ve tried to create here is a beloved community rink that’s for everyone, so we have intentionally set the price point as absolutely low as we can go and still cover our costs," Ferguson added.
"The roller rink is a different animal so it’s a different operation," Kessinger said. "Consequently, we don’t have the same overheads. There’s no ice to keep frozen, so power consumption is a fraction, plus the team required to keep the operation running is smaller. And if people want to bring their own skates, they can."
Jeremy Ferguson, Operations & Placemaking Director and Matt Kessinger, Willy Bietak Productions Project Director 
The complex lattice wooden framework is the same that's used for the foundation of Ice on Santa Monica 
The colorful flooring is made from a special, 100% recycled plastic that allows damaged sections to be easily replaced 
Unlike Ice at Santa Monica, the skates available for rental come in wide variety of cool colors, adding to the roller vibe
The four-wheeled turning roller skate as we know it was invented in 1863 in New York City. It took just 20 years for the idea to become mainstream and in 1883 the first roller rink appeared in the US. The next big milestone was in 1958 when La Monica Ballroom at the Santa Monica Pier introduced a roller rink. Then, the 70s arrived and disco took roller skating to an entirely new level and not long after that, almost inevitably, Venice Beach pretty much became the roller skating capital of the world.
Ferguson says that watching the 2018 HBO documentary United Skates, which tells a story about a community of thousands who fight to prevent the country’s last standing roller rinks from closure in a racially charged environment to save an underground subculture, is essential to properly understand the culture of skating in Southern California. Much like watching the movie Lords of Dogtown is required viewing if you want to appreciate the history of skateboarding.
And in fact, Phelicia Wright, the daughter of a skate-DJ mom and skate-guard dad, the mother of five skaters herself and who played a significant role in United Skates, has been collaborating with Ferguson and Kessinger on this project.
"The documentary United Skates underscores the importance of having safe community spaces open for all to enjoy. And all skates are welcome and if you watch it, you’ll understand the importance of that reference," Ferguson says.
Roll at Santa Monica is located at 1324 5th Street and opens officially on Saturday, August 10, 2024 with a special preview night this Friday, August 9. The roller rink runs through to October 14 when there will be a three-week break as the crew transform it into the ice rink. Hours of operation are Sundays through Thursdays 12pm to 10pm and Fridays and Saturdays from 12pm to 11pm. Visit the website rollatsantamonica.com for more details.
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This story has been edited to clarify the prices after tax and to reflect the fact that sessions when booked last for two hours.
scott.snowden@smdp.com
