Richmond is getting a seasonal ice-skating rink on East Broad Street in time for Christmas.
The 8,400-square-foot rink is being installed at Sixth Street adjacent to the Richmond CenterStage arts complex, Mayor Dwight C. Jones announced Monday.
The rink will open Dec. 22 and be operated by SMG Richmond, which manages the Richmond Coliseum and CenterStage. Private donations of $155,000 are covering the cost of the rink and rental skates, but city officials said they would not reveal the donors until the grand opening.
"I think lots of Richmonders and visitors to our city will enjoy the novelty of ice skating," Jones said in a news release. "This is another way to bring fun and excitement to downtown and to provide a healthy outlet that can add to the physical fitness of our city."
Details, including the rink’s schedule and whether operating revenues are expected to cover all of its costs, have not been finalized, said Tammy D. Hawley, press secretary to Jones. She said officials have discussed keeping the rink open into March to provide another activity in downtown for visitors during the Colonial Athletic AssociationÖ men’s basketball tournament at the Coliseum.
Children under age younger than 10 will be admitted to skate at no cost but they will require will need adult supervision. Others will be admitted at $5 per person. Rental skates will be $3 for children and $5 for adults. Skaters also will be able to bring their own skates.
The East Broad site, assessed at $2.3 million, is owned by the Virginia Performing Arts Foundation, which is the precursor of the CenterStage Foundation. The foundation, which provides fundraising and operational support for the CenterStage performing-arts venues, is allowing the site to be used at no cost, but details, including the length of the agreement, have not been determined, Executive Director Richard M. Parison Jr. said in a statement.
"CenterStage is thrilled to have this wonderful rink in our backyard," he said. "This is another wonderful attraction designed to bring families downtown to enjoy all the city has to offer. It’s great synergy to have an ice-skating rink next to a performing-arts center."
The site was occupied by the Thalhimers department store before it was demolished in 2004 to make way for the arts complex.
In 2005, then-Mayor L. Douglas Wilder derided the site as a "damn hole in the ground" after arts-center boosters had failed to raise enough money to start construction, including a planned music hall at the corner of Sixth and Broad. At Wilder’s insistence, the project was scaled back to focus only on a renovated Carpenter Theatre and new venues along East Grace Street.
The Jones administration has not focused on a possible use of the property beyond the skating rink, Hawley said.
wjones@timesdispatch.com
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