Brooklyn Ice Palace

The rink opened to great fanfare in January of 1917.[2] Unfortunately, with the United States entering World War I just months later, the ice palace became significantly less important. In March of the following year, the state ice controller ordered the place shut in order to save ammonia and other ice making equipment.

After the war the Ice Palace was converted into a 2,500-seat movie theater with space for a pipe organ and a symphony orchestra. Unfortunately, the venture wasn't profitable and fell into bankruptcy. The theater was reopened in 1921 and operated until 1937 when it was removed and the interior to the facility was remodeled back into an ice rink. The new facility opened just in time for Columbia University to bring its varsity ice hockey team back and the Lions played seven games during that season.[3] While the team planned to return the following year, nothing materialized on the Columbia campus and the varsity squad faded into the ether.

In 1941, after the New York Americans moved to Brooklyn, the Ice Palace became the team's practice facility. Due to World War II, the Americans hemorrhaged players until just 4 remained and suspended operations after the year. While there were plans to bring the team back after the war, the NHL eventually decided to leave the team for dead. A few years after the demise of the Amerks, a second professional team moved to Brooklyn. The Brooklyn Crescents used the same name as a tenant in the Ice Palace's first year of operation but had no other connection to that original team. The team was largely unsuccessful, winning 5 out of 45 games during the year and finishing last in the EAHL standings. Unsurprisingly, they too lasted just one year at the ice palace.[4]

During the series of unsuccessful ice hockey teams, the rink found new life as the center for New York figure skating. Several skaters who later earned notoriety on the national stage began their careers at the ice palace with the biggest name being Sonya Klopfer, a future medalist at the World Championships and a competitor at the 1952 Winter Olympics.

The Ice Palace was remodeled twice after refurbishing the rink but still wasn't able to keep pace with newer facilities. It was closed in 1955 and later was converted into a scenery design shop. In the end the building was razed and a parking lot now sits on the site (as of 2021).