While many historic American rinks have vanished over the past decade, including three from Greater Seattle—Bellevue's Skate King, the Everett Skate Deck and the Marysville Skate Center—roller skating is surging back stronger than ever due to recent interest in figure skating inspired by the last Olympics and other factors. Following precedents in Italy and Spain—where the sport thrives as a beloved cultural staple—this space will bring world-class artistic and recreational skating back to the heart of Seattle.
Greater Seattle is home to a thriving skating community. Our Lynnwood program features veteran coach Ezra, who has spent decades developing young skaters into champions, while the Southgate artistic team has proudly sent 6 skaters to Nationals this year. Among these talented young athletes is Kayla Burns, who has just claimed first place in women's freestyle!
Inspired by the historic iron-and-glass framework of Paris's Grand Palais and also by the transparent geometry of Seattle's own Amazon Spheres, this structure will be a true sanctuary of plants, fresh air, natural light and soaring translucent ceilings, designed as an oasis for both dedicated athletes and the community at large.
An architectural marvel that will enthrall by day and glow with dynamic color by night, beckoning the community inside. By moving away from the windowless, low-ceilinged designs of traditional mid-century rinks, this facility will utilize cost-effective, advanced materials to forge a stunning new design precedent for the future of recreational architecture.
Our vision goes beyond serving existing roller-athletes. Through a targeted social awareness campaign, we will actively introduce roller skating as a sport for youth in all of Seattle, including underserved neighborhoods—creating a brand-new generation of skaters who simply haven't had the opportunity to discover the sport yet.
Activating vacant property with an innovative, lightweight, translucent temporary structure while long-term development permits process.