Guptill's Arena
Introduction
Guptill’s Arena is an indoor roller skating rink located in Cohoes, NY. It has been recognized by the Guinness book of world records as the largest indoor skating rink in the world. In addition to roller skating, Guptill’s also houses a cafeteria and arcade. Next to the arena is Guptill’s Ice Cream, which serves ice cream during the spring and summer season. Guptill’s is the longest running family owned entertainment business in the Capital Region.
History
During the Great Depression, Charles Guptill Sr.'s family moved from Maine to Boght Corners, NY in hopes of finding better opportunities in the midst of economic hardship. Leaving behind a career in the logging industry, Charles' father Pearly found some success after opening a gas station in the area. Now equipped with the economic resources to establish a career of his own, Charles Guptill Sr. went on to be an international harvester dealer who built farm machinery. Later, he went into the excavating industry when economic hardship struck. Charles, with about 30 men working for him, built roads and dug cellars throughout the northern capital region, greatly improving the infrastructure of the area in the early 1900s. In the 1940s, Charles developed inflammatory rheumatism, which gave him trouble while walking. However, after joining a roller skating group at his local church, Charles found that his symptoms were greatly alleviated through skating and he set his sights on opening a roller skating rink of his own. Pearly Guptill had owned a lot of land in Latham and they decided to install a saw mill and cut the wood for the area on their own property. After opening its doors in 1951, Guptill's Arena as been family owned ever since. The entire rink took 400,00 oak boards and 9 tons of nails to build. The total area of the rink is 64,000 square feet, making it the largest indoor rink in the world.
The rink opened up on Valentines day 1951 to a packed crowd. The 1950s were a “Golden Age” for roller skating, and the rink has seen continued success even to today. Back when it first opened Guptill’s used an organ to play live music for people as they skated. The rink still sees many visitors every weekend.
Aesthetic
Guptill’s Arena is a time capsule of the 1950s. The decorations are virtually untouched from when the first people skated there. The walls are lined with vintage painting and electronics, which contrasts greatly from the modern music being played as people round the rink. In the back of the arena there are two real vintage Ford cars from the late 1920’s and early 1930’s.
In the mid to late 1900s, roller skating rinks were a popular community center for teenagers - and Guptill's was no exception. Skating rinks provided an exciting place for young people to hang out and socialize while also getting exercise and having fun. By hosting special events and activities, such as live music and skating competitions, while being affordable, made roller rinks a staple of teenage life. However, this meant that the drama of teenage life was also brought to the skating rink. An example of this at Guptill's Arena occurred in 1964 when three teenage boys were arrested for injuring another boy. Gary W. Oliver, 18 years old, was accused of striking Joseph L. Livingston, 17 years old, with a broken bottle, cutting Livingston multiple times on his neck and ear. He was rushed to Memorial Hospital where he received 15 stitches for his wounds.
Two other boys were arrested in the dispute. Joseph K. O'Connor, 16 years old, pleaded guilty to being disorderly and paid a $50 fine, and a juvenile was held at the Albany Family Court on juvenile delinquency charges. Oliver pleaded innocent to the charge of third degree assault.
Other Uses
Other than an entertainment complex, Guptill’s Arena was the site of a boxing match on December 10th, 1967. The match was a heavyweight bout between Dave Zyglewicz and Mike Bruce. Zyglewicz won via technical knockout.
References
https://www.news10.com/news/largest-indoor-roller-skating-rink-guptills-arena-celebrating-65-years/
https://www.timesunion.com/projects/2021/visuals/guptills-turns-70/
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-renaissance-of-roller-skating/
https://www.troyrecord.com/2011/02/28/guptills-arena-skates-into-sixth-decade-in-business/