You Win Some, You Leo’s Some
(images via: Abandoned Baton Rouge)
Roller rinks were relatively low-cost structures in the American south where snow accumulating on rooftops wasn’t an issue. Got a flat area, a LOT of corrugated galvanized steel sheeting and enough paint to cover the exterior? Leo did… but was it all worth it? Props to Abandoned Baton Rouge for the images above, and our condolences to the quarter-million people living in Baton Rouge who find their city’s failures documented in a blog called Abandoned Baton Rouge.
(image via: Tobin)
Flickr user Tobin captured the essence of Leo’s Roller Rink circa the spring of 2009. Tobin’s image evokes the forsaken state of the once-bustling rink whose carefully painted signage is fading faster than the brilliant orange background.
Roller Club Clobbered
(images via: Abandoned Buildings of Chiang Mai)
The first rule of Roller Club is you do not talk about Roller Club. You don’t go there to roller skate either, at least not officially. This decaying concrete roller rink is located in the Thai city of Chiang Mai, and it’s one of the casualties of a local real estate bubble. Hmm, what’s “sub-prime” in Thai?
(images via: We’re Lost And Everything Is Dirty)
Space Roller Extreme Sport & Techno Games, as it was known, seemingly wasn’t able to make ends meet despite being endowed with the coolest name north of Bangkok. These days, the complex has been invaded by squatters who likely don’t roller skate nor partake in any extreme sports and/or techno games. Kudos to the gang at We’re Lost And Everything Is Dirty for braving the wrath of the squatters in order to capture the above images.
Red Hill, Orange Flames
(images via: Hung Up On Retro, Clare and Papi Photography, Quest Newspapers and Brisbane Daily Photo)
Painting a roller rink orange is one thing, having it consumed by orange flames is quite another yet both Leo’s Roller Rink and the Red Hill Skate Arena in Brisbane, Australia ended up sharing the same fate: abandonment.
(image via: Reddit)
The difference is that while Leo’s is still rusting in peace, the Red Hill Skate Arena is destined to be demolished and the site redeveloped LONG after it closed following the Boxing Day Fire of 2002. Click here to view the ethereally eerie image above in all its eye-popping glory.
