This Site Began Research March Of 2000/Construction April 2004

[ Home ] [ Building Photos ] [ County-City Records-Photos ] [ Warren Historical Society ]
 [ News Article 1966 ] [ 2004 Free Press Article ] [ 2005 Detroit News Article ]
 [ Demolition-Last Days ] [ Auction Page ] [ Memorabilia ] [ Theatre Page ] [ Shows and Concerts ]
 [ The People ] [ Employees Gallery ] [ Skating Club-Family ] [ Skaters of The 60's ]
["Current Photos and Life History of 1960's Skaters"] [ Skaters of the 70's ] [ Skaters of the 80's ]
 [ Tribute to Deceased ]  [ Annual Canoe Trip ] [ Where Are They Now,?? ]
[ March 2005 Motor City Reunion/Photos ]
 [ Guestbook ] [ Web Discussion Board ]
Please visit often, this website is always being updated!!!!
 

Our Project Recently Made It To The Front Page Of The Local "Community" Section
Of The Free Press On June 10, 2004
<<<Click on any photo for a LARGER view>>>


Below Photos From The Free Press Artical
<<<Click on any photo for a LARGER view>>>

A Link To The Online Version Of The Article While It Is Still Posted By The Free Press
{Note: the online version does not include the photos that were printed in the News Paper version of the Story}

***Below A Text Version Of The Free Press Artical***
 

WARREN: Roller skating down memory lane

Motor City rink's past is captured on Web site

June 10, 2004

BY MARY OWEN
FREE PRESS STAFF WRITER
It's 1981 and Anthony Guarnieri's shoulder-length hair is blowing in the wind as he roller skates down Van Dyke to the Motor City Roller Rink.

It was just another night for Guarnieri, then 21, and his friends at the roller rink, where lines of young people formed a half-hour before the doors opened.

The Motor City Roller Rink sat at the corner of Van Dyke and 9 Mile from 1961 until 1986, but the memories will last a lifetime.

"The place has sentimental value," said Guarnieri, now a 44-year-old Warren resident, who married the blonde-haired girl he met at the roller rink in 1981.

Guarnieri no longer owns the circa 1981 skates with wheels that blinked when they turned, but he recently developed a Web site dedicated to Motor City memories. Guarnieri and fellow Motor City groupie, Stephen Schang of Sterling Heights, are now trying to compile photos and stories to post online.

The roller rink was demolished in 1986 and replaced with what is now a Burger King and strip mall. The rink closed after business slowed in the early 1980s, said Eddie Hakim, one of the former owners.

For 15 years, Schang, now 54, did everything from push a broom to DJ at the roller rink. Most of that time, he also worked on the assembly line for Chrysler Corp.

"I was always there," said Schang. "That was my hangout. I skated all the time. I rarely had my skates off."

Schang remembers working coat check in the mid-1960s when a little-known singing quartet arrived late as people were leaving the venue. The owners said it was too late and that they couldn't perform. The group was the Four Tops, Schang said.

He also recalls a memorable Clash concertat the rink. Before the concert, Ted Nugent discreetly told someone that the Clash didn't want him to perform with them, fearing an overzealous crowd would rush the stage and damage their equipment, Schang said.

The Motor City building was a movie theater from the mid-1940s to 1961. Patrons paid 25 cents for two full-length movies, cartoons, a newsreel and previews. The building was owned by Schultes Theatre before it was sold to Shaw Hakim and his son, Eddie Hakim, who converted it into a roller rink, according to city records.

About 2,500 young people -- mostly from Warren and Detroit's east side -- packed concerts featuring the Clash, the B-52s, Iggy Pop and the Pretenders.

Hundreds of people also would come to watch the Motor City skating team perform. When the team wasn't practicing, the public could pay $1.50 for three hours of skating.

Schang -- though a bit older than Guarnieri -- remembers having to bench Guarnieri when he would skate alone during the couples-only songs. They weren't close back then, but were reunited recently when Guarnieri started his Motor City project.

Others also have stayed in touch. A group that used to work and hang out at Motor City now goes on annual canoe trips together. Skaters on the Motor City skating team are planning their own reunion.

Many people, including Eddie Hakim, met their future spouses at the roller rink. He said he hadn't seen Guarnieri's Web site yet, but understands the sentimental attachment.

"People had fun," Hakim said. "It was a good boy-meets-girl operation."

But aside from the cherished friendships made, the Warren Historical and Genealogical Society is welcoming Guarnieri and Schang's efforts to preserve a little piece of Warren history.

"We love when people do stuff like this," said Sue Keffer, vice president of the historical society. Keffer said the society might allow Guarnieri and Schang to put together a showcase of Motor City memorabilia at the Warren Community Center.

Contact MARY OWEN at 586-469-1827 or owen@freepress.com.

Click The "Back" Button On Your Browser To Return To Your Last Viewed Page,
 Or Click Here To Return To The MotorCity Home Page