From Horses to Tennis, the Roller Garden Has Seen it All

If you’ve ever been skating at the in St. Louis Park, you’ve gone around and around a building full of history.

The spacious structure opened in 1930 as an indoor horse riding facility, according to the St. Louis Park Historical Society. As horse riding was a much more popular activity in those days, the arena drew a number of large shows and big crowds.

But as the popularity of horse riding waned—at least in urban areas—the arena evolved. By the early 1940s, the arena was flooded in the winter and used for ice-skating. An electric organ entertained the skaters.

In 1943, a wooden floor was added so the arena could be used for roller-skating as well. The historical society reports that this got nearby residents up in arms—one of many times over the years that neighbors have complained about noise and trouble at the venue. In fact, extra police were added to the rink in 1947, and in 1948, the village council passed a special roller rink ordinance in an effort to address the problem.

Still, the arena wasn’t ready to become a full-time roller rink quite yet. In the late 1950s, it became an indoor tennis facility, though it wasn’t an ideal locale—large windows created patterns of light and shadows, and a number of birds flew in and disrupted play. Over the next few years, the arena still occasionally hosted tennis, as well as roller-skating and rock ‘n’ roll shows.

These days, the Roller Garden holds special roller-skating parties, such as birthdays. There are also adult skate nights, like the popular “Old School” Fridays with funk and disco on the speakers. For more information, see the Roller Garden’s website.

If you have St. Louis Park history you'd like to share—including text, photographs and possibly video—please email local editor Michael Rose at michael.rose@patch.com.