Life Before Crate & Barrel: The U Village Used to Have a Skating Rink
Casey McNerthney took a break from answering your questions about driving while texting and Four Loko today to add an interesting piece from the archives to the Seattle PI's Big Blog, regarding the University Village's history. Here's the long and short of it:
This "lifestyle center" (I have it on good authority that the U. Village prefers not to be called a "mall"), built in 1956, was anchored by the now-defunct Rhode's department store, which featured a beauty salon and plenty of lifestyle advice. That space is now inhabited by the Barnes & Noble. There was also a nursery, a branch of the Seattle Trust and Savings Bank, and even a rollerskating rink called the Rolladium.
The Rolladium, which was constructed in 1953, was open until 10:30 pm on weekends, undoubtedly played rock 'n roll music, and was probably a lot like the skating rink you went to as a kid. Unfortunately, it was converted to a bowling alley in 1958, and closed for good in 1995.
The PI's post features plenty of photos and some other additional information, but the most important part about all of this is one question:
Who's going to start the campaign to revive the Rolladium?
