Look Inside The Historic New Skateland Roller Rink In Buffalo, New York

Those blessed to live in Buffalo and Western New York know very well what a great place this is. It's often easy to forget some of the unique things that make the 716 one of the top places in America, but when you sit back and think about it, it's truly amazing. From time to time, we get reminders about how good things are.

Those reminders often sit right before us when we look at the fantastic architecture covering just about every corner of the Western New York region. You can stop on just about any corner in 716. You'll run into structures that have been designed and built by the most extraordinary people to have constructed buildings: seeing work from the likes of Frederick Law Olmsted, Calvert Vaux, Frank Lloyd Wright, Louis Sullivan, Louise Blanchard Bethune, H.H. Richardson, Eliel and Eero Saarinen, Elbert Hubbard and more. These, of course, are just a few.

Countless examples of buildings in Buffalo that are architecturally significant and still survive today exist. While many of those examples have fallen into severe disrepair, several are on the verge of new life, like the former Sattler's Theatre on Broadway and the retired Women and Children's Hospital on Bryant. Still, some of our favorite locations are just languishing and need serious support to survive, like the old Wonderbread Factory. Other times, you come across a building that served many generations of 716ers with fun and is now on the verge of being lost to history.

This looks like what's happening with the sprawling New Skateland complex on East Ferry Street in Buffalo.

Is New Skateland In Danger?

Like many folks who grew up in Buffalo, I spent many years having fun inside the sprawling building at 33 E. Ferry Street on the edge of Buffalo's Cold Springs Neighborhood.

From the Vermillion Room, where you had to go up to get down, to the large and small rinks inside New Skateland, Trunnis Goggins and his family have gone out of their way to make sure people in Buffalo have a place to have fun since the early 1960s.

Unfortunately, in the years since Goggins passed away, the New Skateland complex has struggled to stay afloat. Susan Ann Goggins, the widow of Trunnis, had continued to operate New Skateland as Kiddie Skateland; however, the complex has been closed since at least 2020.

Take A Look Inside The Abandoned New Skateland

I was scrolling through Facebook and came across this reel video posted by Abandoned and Beyond Buffalo, NY. They have a knack for exploring areas around Western and Central New York that are worthy of a look. Since it's been vacant, this isn't the first time we've gotten a peek at New Skateland. However, it seems time is taking its toll on this great place.

If you've spent time here, you know how massive the site is, and it's a shame it's deteriorated. Like many people from Western New York, I have good memories of years spent there. It's one of the first places I partied and DJ'd.

You can check out the video on Facebook.

Warning

The information shared here is meant for entertainment and educational purposes only. Under no circumstances should you enter this property. Doing so risks bodily harm and/or arrest and prosecution for trespassing on private property. Therefore, it is strongly recommended that you do not attempt to investigate the inside of abandoned buildings without proper knowledge, experience, and legal authorization.