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New ice rink brings back fond memories
By Jared MorganDOWNTOWN When U.S. Figure Skating Hall of Famer Tai Babilonia goes shopping on Broadway at Fred Segal, she tends to weep.
“Not because of the fabulous shoes, (but because) some of the old railing is still there,” she said last week.
When the boutique clothing store and hair salon purchased the property at 500 Fifth Street back in 1985, the site was better known as home to the Santa Monica Ice Capades Chalet.
“(That was my home) more than my real home,” she said.
The Bayside District Corporation, in partnership with City Hall, is planning on bringing back that spirit of the winter season — an homage to the Chalet.
Memories of winters past are back at the fore since Bayside announced plans to establish a seasonal ice skating rink at the city owned parking lot located at 1324 and 1326 Fifth St. The rink is expected to be open to the public from Nov. 16 to Jan. 7, 2008.
It was Santa Monica’s own Chalet that Babilonia trained for the 1980 Olympics.
“It was a dream come true,” said Babilonia. “Knowing that the beach was so close was great too.”
Randy Gardner, Babilonia’s skating partner for years, trained at the downtown Santa Monica ice rink from 1971 until its closure in 1983. The rink sat unoccupied for almost two years until Fred Segal bought it in 1985.“I remember the low ceilings,” said Gardner. “And to be able to go to the beach after skating ... was an interesting juxtaposition.”
Rose Larkin, originally from Ireland, moved to Santa Monica in 1968. She used to take her kids to the ice skating rink on their birthdays.
“It was a shock when they took it away,” Larkin said. “It was unique to Santa Monica at the time.”
Ice Capades, a division of Metromedia, purchased the property in 1968. Back then, it had been a bowling alley.
For 15 years, the Santa Monica Ice Capades Chalet was used by professional and leisure ice skaters alike. Toward the end of its tenure, however, the rink’s use began to dwindle.
“We bought the property in 1985. It had been an empty ice skating rink,” said Michael Segal, president of the Fred Segal clothing boutique. “I used to skate there and play hockey.”
A common misconception is that Fred Segal closed the Santa Monica ice skating rink, said Michael Segal.
Ruth Yannatta Goldway, a former mayor of Santa Monica, said in a Sept. 5, 1982, Los Angeles Times interview that Metromedia wanted to sell the ice skating rink to a developer who would build a six-story building on the property.
With nostalgia edging deep this winter, skaters of all skill levels will be welcome to take to the Santa Monica ice anew.
“We talked about it five years ago,” said Kathleen Rawson, executive director of Bayside. “The problem was finding a place to put it.”
Babilonia and Gardner will host the grand opening of the ice skating rink on Nov. 21.