The recent Winter Olympics showed that the public’s love for figure skating has continued to stay strong. According to ESPN, figure skating attracted 59% of Olympic viewers last winter, showcasing a healthy global fanbase. Skating rinks can be a place for the general public to experience life on the ice just as their favorite figure skaters do. Here in Portland, the Lloyd Center Ice Rink is that space. Opening with the rest of the Lloyd Center mall in 1960, it became the first ice rink to be located within a shopping mall in the country. The rink has a large community of novice and intermediate ice skaters, and welcomes all to participate in lessons or simply enjoy open skate sessions.
Since its opening, people all over Portland have visited to ice skate both recreationally and competitively. As ice skating is a popular activity, the rink is usually packed with visitors over the weekend.
However, recent news of a demolition of the mall has sparked protest among patrons and skaters of the rink.
The development project proposed by Lloyd Center co-owners, the Urban Renaissance Group, aims to transform Lloyd Center into a diverse and connected neighborhood. With a plot size of 29.3 acres, the newly-remodeled space would include a variety of housing, business opportunities, restaurants, show venues, and office spaces. One of the major objectives of this design is to create a community space that is easily accessible through public transportation and convenient for bikes, pedestrians, and cars. Housing would be created for a range of incomes, providing more housing opportunities to the dense area. This project would require a demolition to the original building, and would likely result in the removal of the ice rink. Despite talk to incorporate an outdoor rink into the plan, it is unclear whether this would happen as it is not currently part of the plan.
“This vision transforms an aging mall that is no longer economically sustainable into a vibrant, mixed-use neighborhood with housing, retail, and open space where Portlanders can live, work, and play,” said Project Director Thomas Kilbane in a written statement last month.
The Urban Renaissance Group did not respond to multiple requests for comment.
Following the news of possible demolition, groups like the Save Lloyd Ice Coalition are working towards preserving the existing rink, or finding a replacement space for the rink’s legacy to continue on. However, the rink’s future remains uncertain. Skaters from all over the country are supporting projects to save the rink, including Olympic gold-medal skater Ilia Malinin, who reposted stories on Instagram in support of the efforts being made. “Without the rink, there would be less accessibility to ice skating, and there’s also so many fun community events there,” said Una Sawyer, a junior at Franklin and skate guard at Lloyd Center Ice Rink.
The Lloyd Center Ice Rink hosts weekly classes to all ages, starting as young as three years old. Classes follow a strict curriculum created by Learn to Skate USA. The national program progresses through figure skating fundamentals on a steady track to help aspiring skaters reach a high level. “Lloyd Center is [a] rink where you could come at any level, or start whenever, and not get judged for not being a certain level by a certain age,” said Sawyer.
To many new skaters, it can be intimidating to be skating alongside those already at a high level. Sawyer explained that the community at Lloyd Center Ice Rink strives to be very accepting and welcoming to all that are interested in skating. The rink offers various open skate sessions throughout the week, typically taking place during the day. It can be a space for people who have never skated to try getting on the ice without the pressure of a formal lesson. Sawyer started skating after attending one of Lloyd’s open skate sessions with her friend. “I love seeing kids get from not being able to [skate] to having the courage to keep trying,” said Tanya Lyn March, the operations lead and birthday coordinator at the Lloyd Center Ice Rink. “I see that here every day, [and] because we’re not a high level skating rink, we have a lot of people who maybe this is the only time they’re going to skate.”
The Lloyd Center Ice Rink is more than just a rink to the skating community — it is currently the only open skate rink in Portland. Based on its location, Lloyd Center Ice Rink is easy to access because of the public transportation and fareless travel options around it. “I have a number of community members who are very distressed that this rink will be closing, because they use public transportation [to commute],” explained Lyn March. Other ice rinks around the area are much farther, and not easily accessed on public transportation. The social community of Lloyd Center Ice Rink is also greatly influenced by how accessible it is. “I’m friends with people from different places who come to the rink [of] all sorts of different ages,” said Sawyer. “We’re all close to each other, and everyone’s really funny.”
Despite the looming demolition, devoted Lloyd Center skaters are still going strong, filling the rink for open skate sessions and attending classes. Lyn March said the rink is also planning on hosting a figure skating performance this May, called “Lloyd Center Through the Years.” As long as it stands, the Lloyd Center Ice Rink will continue to be a place where enthused ice skaters of all ages and all levels gather to enjoy their time on the ice.
