Orbit Skate Center opened in 1972 in Palatine, Illinois, across from Arlington International Racecourse. ABC7 Chicago called it the largest in the Midwest.
Its last day was March 31, 2018, with a going-out-of-business party that evening. Owner Sandra Levin wrote on the rink’s website that the cost of doing business in Cook County was too high to sustain a facility of that size for roller skating. She pointed to a $5,000 monthly utility bill, $138,000 of floor repair and what she called aggressive property taxes.
The building was sold to new owners who planned to change its use.
Sources
- ABC7 Chicago, 2018-03-08: the last weeks, “the largest in the Midwest,” the March 31 party
- Patch Palatine, Joe Vince, 2018-03-07: 46 years in business, the owner’s statement, the sale