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Empire Roller Disco — Brooklyn, New York (1941–2007)
Located at 200 Empire Boulevard in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, the legendary Empire Roller Skating Center operated from 1941 to 2007, becoming one of New York City's most beloved skating institutions and a birthplace of modern roller disco.
Originally opened as a traditional roller rink, Empire found an entirely new identity during the 1970s, when disco music, flashing lights, and a generation of extraordinarily stylish skaters transformed the place into something magical.
And Empire wasn't just following the roller disco craze. It helped create it. DJ Bill Butler, often called the Godfather of Roller Disco, began bringing contemporary soul, funk, and dance records to the rink, helping establish the rhythmic skating style that would eventually spread across the country.
By the late 1970s, Empire was a glorious spectacle of short shorts, tube socks, satin jackets, feathered hair, tight jeans, and skaters performing moves that had absolutely no business being attempted on eight wheels.
The rink was also an important gathering place for Brooklyn's Black community, where music, fashion, athleticism, and neighborhood culture came together. Long before roller disco became a national fad, Empire's regulars were developing their own skating styles, routines, and traditions.
And naturally, the disco era brought plenty of crossover appeal. The combination of dance music, flamboyant fashion, beautiful bodies, and unapologetic self-expression made roller disco a natural companion to the gay club culture flourishing throughout New York.
Empire survived long after the national roller disco craze faded, remaining a beloved Brooklyn institution through changing musical tastes, changing neighborhoods, and generations of skaters who grew up circling its famous floor.
When Empire closed in 2007 after 66 years, New York lost more than a roller rink. It lost a genuine cultural landmark and one of the places where an entire American dance phenomenon had taken shape.
