National Arena, 1631 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC

• Operator: America On Wheels (AOW Corporation)
• Manager: Don Victor[1], Ralph Canary[2], Joe Liguori, Ralph Canary[4]
• Pro/Coach: Herb & Dot Daisley[3], Leonard Baggley & Charles Lowe[4]
• Organist: Ruth Elsenberg[1]
• Floor size: 100' x 200'[5]
• Floor type: [?]
• Primary reason for closing: [?]
• Opened: 1947[1] - 71 (No ad's 72-77 - open/closed?), & one Ad in 1980 - Last Ad found[6]
(Listed in Participating Club Roster of USFARS Nationals Programs - 1981-1984)
History Timeline[7]
1947 - National Arena Roller Rink with Bowling Alley.
1986 - Citadel Motion Picture Center.
2004 - R2L:Architects & Harris Teeter.
2013 - Convert it featuring a grocery store, lofty apartments with underground parking.


Courtesy www.usarsarollerskaters.org




Courtesy Old Time D.C. FB page, photo by Paul Feinberg


Then / Now


Now



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Sources

(1)Billboard Oct 11, 1947 (above)
(2)Billboard Sep 4, 1948 (above)
(3)1948 NARSA Ad (above)
(4)The Record Aug 1, 1952 (above)
(5)Billboard Feb 13 1954 (above)
(6)Many of the AOW Rinks Closing dates were not found and had to be calculated by using other means.
The way I did it was to create a chart using the AOW Ads in USARSA Nationals
from 1947 to 1971 that listed all of their rinks in operation at that time and then
after the merger in USFARS Nationals, 1972 to 1990.
This gives a reasonably accurate date as closed rinks would no longer be listed.
(7)Former DC Skating Rink Becoming Apartments, Delivering This Spring - UrbanTurf - February 13, 2013 (above)
https://dc.urbanturf.com/articles/blog/lofty_residences_in_a_former_adams_morgan_skating_rink/6653

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