Over the years, the Southern California area has experienced tremendous turnover as old single-sheet ice arenas have opened and closed in many different locations.
Our goal at RinkAtlas is to document all of the places where ice hockey is being and has been played throughout North America. We have a project to document all of the closed arenas we can find. These are buildings that used to be hockey arenas and are used for a different purpose, or buildings that were demolished and other buildings were built in their places.
Obviously a ton of research into former Southern California ice arenas was done by Joseph (Joe) Nix one his Bygone Rinks web page. We are beginning with a list of arenas that he mentioned on Bygone Rinks, and adding information that we find in our own research.
Here is a list of arenas that we are aware of in the Southern California area that are not currently in the RinkAtlas directory because we have not completed research on them. The list is in alphabetical order, and any information we have about the arena is listed below its name:
- Bakersfield Ice Chalet
- Bakersfield Ice Palace
- Big Bear Lake Rink
- Camp Seeley Winter Carnival, San Bernardino Mountains
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- City Skate of Palm Desert
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Conejo Valley Ice Skating Center, Newbury Park
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Culver City Arena
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Culver City Roller Rink, which had a possible ice rink, Washington Place between Venice and Washington Blvd
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Culver City Studio Rink, reportedly at 5575 Sepulveda Blvd
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- El Cajon Arena, El Cajon
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Fresno Skating Rinks, a series of places
- according to http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Glacier Falls Ice Arena, Anaheim
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Glacier Gardens, San Diego
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- House of Ice, La Mesa
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Ice Capades Chalet, Brea
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Ice Capades Chalet, Santa Monica
- Set for Sylvester Stallone – Talia Shire skating scene in “Rocky”
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Set for “Rockford Files”, Episode: “Feeding Frenzy”
- http://rockfordfilesfilminglocations.blogspot.com/2013/01/need-help-identifying-this-filming.html
- Ice Castle International Training Center, Lake Arrowhead-Blue Jay
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Ice Chalet, Costa Mesa
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Ice Garden, Cathedral City
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Ice Garden, La Quinta
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Icon Skating Center, Sylmar
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Ice Skating Palace, Los Angeles
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Irvine Ice Arena
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Klondike, Costa Mesa
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Lake Murray Boulevard Arena, La Mesa
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Melody Ice Gardens, Lancaster
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Mission Valley Ice Arena
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- North Hills Iceoplex, North Hills
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Norwalk Ice Arena
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Orange Belt Ice Gardens, Riverside
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Olympic Ice Gardens, Riverside
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Outdoor Ice Gardens, Big Bear Lake
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Pacific Beach Studio Rink, Pacific Beach
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Palais du Glace / Winter Garden, Los Angeles
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Pan Pacific Auditorium, Los Angeles
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Pasadena Winter Garden, Pasadena
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Polarink, Long Beach
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Polar Palace, La Habra
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Polar Palace, Los Angeles
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Santa Barbara Ice Patch, Santa Barbara
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Mack Sennett Studio Ice Rink, Los Angeles
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Schramm’s / Valley Gardens, North Hollywood
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Skate Zone, Huntington Beach
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Swing Auditorium, San Bernardino
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Valley Ice Skating Center, Tarzana
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Vic Tanny’s Gym Ice Rink, San Diego
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Vic Tanny’s Gym Ice Rink, Santa Barbara
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Topanga Plaza Rink, Canoga Park
- http://josephnix.com/scalrin1.html
- Tropical Ice Gardens aka Westwood Palace of Ice, Los Angeles
- “… once upon a time, when UCLA’s roots were barely sinking into the grounds of a blossoming area called Westwood, there was an outdoor skating rink open year-round for pros and amateurs alike.
In October of 1938, Angelenos were anxiously awaiting the opening of what was billed as “one of the biggest sport and amusement enterprises in Los Angeles annals,” (Huge). Three hundred men were employed to work through the night to build the Tropical Ice Gardens, which would seat 10,000 spectators and accommodate 2000 ice skaters on its outdoor rink. The endeavor aimed to “bring to Westwood Village a corner of St. Moritz, with buildings creating an exact replica of an Alpine village, set in surroundings of stately palm trees and hibiscus….” - https://laist.com/2009/02/21/laistory_tropical_ice_gardens.php
- “… once upon a time, when UCLA’s roots were barely sinking into the grounds of a blossoming area called Westwood, there was an outdoor skating rink open year-round for pros and amateurs alike.
- Westbrook Ice Arena, Garden Grove
- West Covina Ice Arena
- Westminster Ice Palace, Westminster
Thanks to the RinkAtlas community members for their help in researching these arenas.
- Frank DiMarco
- Mike McDevitt