26 replies to this topic

[BlueMound]

Temporary outdoor ice skating rink for the Holiday Season
- Inside the new Sundance Plaza
- Or somehow construct it inside the Water Gardens - to get more people interacting with the Lancaster Corridor.

Rockefeller Center




LA Live

[Austin55]

Interestingly, a regulation rink is 200' long, the same size as FW blocks. So with the sidewalk, one could perhaps fit. However, I'm pretty sure that both of those rinks are smaller than regulation. LA's is square lol. GE measures the Rockefeller rink at 120' by 60'.
I think it'd be VERY cool (punny?) to have an outdoor faux ice rink in DTFW, especially as a hockey player/fan.

Some experimenting in Google earth with a regulation size model made by ACGreider. There is no way I could find to get it into the water gardens.

Sundance,


General downtown empty lot,


Same, but Diagonal,

[Doohickie]

Hard to imagine how they would keep it frozen. If the temps are much above freezing, they have trouble with the NHL Winter Classic outdoor game.

[Austin55]

Oh it couldnt be real. There is synthetic ice though. Itd probably have to be rather small to. This article has some good facts like prices and sizes and how it works.

http://www.fox11onli...thetic-ice-rink

[Volare]

Oh it could be real, it would just have to be chilled. They have one in downtown OKC adjacent to the Myriad Gardens and Crystal Bridge, across the street from the new 52 story Devon tower.

[JBB]

It certainly is possible to run a real ice rink in a warmer climate. As far as I know, the one in Marshall, TX is a real ice surface. If a real ice surface needed below freezing temperatures, it wouldn't be possible to run the one above at Rockefeller Center.

[Austin55]

I have to wonder what the price of real ice would be though?

[dfwerdoc]

i hope this happens ..... it'll be expensive to do it. they did one in victory park a few years ago.

[Ron Payne]

I've often thought that the center section of the Water Gardens should be frozen over in the winter for skating (not necessarily hockey dimensions), and that it should also be used when the weather is nice for local talent to come out and play some music. The whole Garden seems like an unused waste most of the time.

[johnfwd]

Years ago I was in New Orleans and noticed the outdoor ice skating rink in the downtown. Don't know if it's still there (especially after Katrina). For Fort Worth, maybe future space as part of a commercial venture in connection with the TRV?

[BlueMound]

Even smaller rinks built in unlikely places are possible

Here's a rink that they build on one of the upper floors of the Eiffel Tower !?!?

[David Love]

During the holiday season Zurich train station would set up a rink on one end, half inside and half outside, just for kids, they'd skate in one set of open double doors and out the other. Made the place look magical.

[johnfwd]

I heard on KLRD radio this morning that an outdoor ice skating rink is planned for downtown Dallas.  If this comes to fruition, we in Fort Worth have lost out again, even in a minor tourist draw as this one would be.  And, once again, we in Fort Worth fantasize about something that Dallas seriously contemplates and proceeds to bring into reality.  Maybe some Dallas promoter was reading our thoughts when we pinned them in this thread?

[JBB]

Yes, this is concerning.  Because there's no way you can have an artificial ice rink in Dallas and in Fort Worth.

[RD Milhollin]

I saw a blurb on CBS11 news that the rink was to be half the size of a regulation hockey rink, and would be installed on the lawn at Klyde Warren Park the new one built over Woodall Rogers freeway. Apparently the rink itself was a gift (from a former owner of the Dallas hockey team?) The surface is not actually ice; it is a composite material that may or may not contain teflon, the news crew wanted to examine the material but was told none was available currently in North Texas. ... Oops, found a link to the story:

 

http://dfw.cbslocal....owntown-dallas/

[renamerusk]

Yes, this is concerning.  Because there's no way you can have an artificial ice rink in Dallas and in Fort Worth.

 

We could have a roller derby rink.  A whole lot more fun.

[Austin55]

http://www.trinityri...antherislandice

It's happening!

[BlueMound]

Awesome!

[RD Milhollin]

Here is the S-T article by Dickson announcing the details of the Rink and the deal behind it:

 

http://www.star-tele...ce-skating.html

[johnfwd]

It's hard to believe that outdoor ice skating can survive 100-plus temps in the summer, but I guess modern technology has the answer.  Now I read awhile back that the drive-in theater was on a temporary 10-year lease in connection with the Trinity River Vision economic development strategy.  Wonder if that will be the same scheme for this rink?   

[JBB]

It's not going to be there in 100 degree heat.  The article says it will open daily from Nov. 22 through Jan. 5.

[beverlyb]

The plan is to go with flexible businesses until "Panther Island" is completely in place. Developers want businesses that can be easily moved or removed as needed. The drive-in and ice skating rink fit that designation.

[johnfwd]

The plan is to go with flexible businesses until "Panther Island" is completely in place. Developers want businesses that can be easily moved or removed as needed. The drive-in and ice skating rink fit that designation.

Utilizing vacant land with "temporary" businesses is undoubtedly a sensible economic strategy.  I've never run a retail business (not sure a law practice counts), so I don't know how this unusual status affects their long-term planning.  My thought is that loyal customers will follow the drive-in and ice rink wherever they go after being uprooted.  But, 10 years or so is a long time to be in one place.

[renamerusk]

Wondering how the outdoor ice skating rink is doing in Panther Island?  For sure, the timing could not have been any better than now.

[Austin55]

It's been closed the past couple of days, but everytime I've visited it's been packed. It's just a little rink and the ice looks very choppy, but still a neat place. I hope it sticks around and gets relocated when the Panther Island project really starts to go. 

[Austin55]

Another one but just for a short time. 

 

 

Crocket St. is a pretty cool location. 

 

 

Another thing, remember the ice storm last winter? Sundance Plaza was frozen solid. I'm really regretting not bringing my skates. If it freezes this year, I will be sure to do it. I was skating on the streets here in Mansfield. Had a lot of fun. Not really an "on purpose" rink though. 

[Dylan]

Darn, I missed that by two days. I was walking around the West 7th street area earlier today.

 

Oh well, I've never ice skated before, so I probably would have spent the day landing on my rear end anyway.