Longtime roller skating arena in Latham makes state historic business registry
LATHAM, N.Y. (NEWS10) - The world's largest indoor roller skating rink lives in the Capital Region and has been open for 75 years. Owned by the Guptill family, the Guptill's Roller Skating Arena is now run by 4th-generation family members. As of Saturday, the historic arena is officially on the New York Historic Business Preservation Registry.
The roller rink is known for being open since the 1950s, its massive size, ice cream stand, and presence in the Guinness Book of World Records. The business managed to make its way on the registry after being owned and operated for over 50 years by one single family.
A spot on the registry requires the business to have made an impact on the community's history, which owner Charles Guptill said is what the arena is all about.
"We have always been very conscious to keep the 50s nostalgia, to the 60s, and through the decades, and that's what makes it a special place," Guptill said.
Kathy Howe, the Director of Community Preservation Services Bureau, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation, said the family is well deserving of the award, as they have been serving the Capital District for seven and a half decades.
“To survive and prosper through seven and a half decades through various economic and changing social trends is really a testament to the Guptill family," Howe said. "The fashion and hair styles, the big hair days have changed, and the music throughout time. I think it's the GuptillS' love and commitment to this family that have remained a constant."
New York State Senator Jake Ashby aided in plac
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