My local rink is at risk (Lloyd Center Ice Rink in Portland, OR)

[DustPuppyOI]

(Mods, feel free to move where it should be if this forum isn't the best place for it.)

Save Lloyd Ice Coalition

The fight to save Portland's Lloyd Center Ice Rink is over. Thank you to everyone who signed, donated, testified, and showed up.

www.savelloydicerink.com

Hello!

My local ice rink here in Portland, OR, the Lloyd Center Ice Rink (https://www.lloydice.com/), is slated for demolition as part of redevelopment in the area. There aren't that many rinks in the Portland metro area (the one that Tonya Harding skated at no longer exists). This one is rare in being centrally located, year round, and public transit accessible.

If folks could spread the word (and sign the petition should you see fit), I would be grateful.

"The goal of Save Lloyd Ice Coalition (SLIC) is to urge the City of Portland to pause approval of the Lloyd Center redevelopment plan and require preservation of the Lloyd Center Ice Rink, or a binding, permanent, year-round replacement facility of equal or greater quality, before any demolition or irreversible action occurs."
​

ETA: Here's a news article about the planned demolition and redevelopment for those interested in the background. https://www.oregonlive.com/portland...d-with-teardown-of-mall-and-its-ice-rink.html

 

[Karen-W]

(Mods, feel free to move where it should be if this forum isn't the best place for it.)

Save Lloyd Ice Coalition

The fight to save Portland's Lloyd Center Ice Rink is over. Thank you to everyone who signed, donated, testified, and showed up.

www.savelloydicerink.com

Hello!

My local ice rink here in Portland, OR, the Lloyd Center Ice Rink (https://www.lloydice.com/), is slated for demolition as part of redevelopment in the area. There aren't that many rinks in the Portland metro area (the one that Tonya Harding skated at no longer exists). This one is rare in being centrally located, year round, and public transit accessible.

If folks could spread the word (and sign the petition should you see fit), I would be grateful.

"The goal of Save Lloyd Ice Coalition (SLIC) is to urge the City of Portland to pause approval of the Lloyd Center redevelopment plan and require preservation of the Lloyd Center Ice Rink, or a binding, permanent, year-round replacement facility of equal or greater quality, before any demolition or irreversible action occurs."
​

ETA: Here's a news article about the planned demolition and redevelopment for those interested in the background. https://www.oregonlive.com/portland...d-with-teardown-of-mall-and-its-ice-rink.html

It would be a shame for there not to be a replacement rink in Portland proper, but I do want to point out that there are two ice rinks on the Westside which are both open year round and public transit accessible - though I know it'd be a schlep and a half to go from anywhere in downtown or on the Eastside out to Beaverton or Sherwood on TriMet. Same goes for the arena in Vancouver which is also open year round & accessible via public transit.

 

[DustPuppyOI]

It would be a shame for there not to be a replacement rink in Portland proper, but I do want to point out that there are two ice rinks on the Westside which are both open year round and public transit accessible - though I know it'd be a schlep and a half to go from anywhere in downtown or on the Eastside out to Beaverton or Sherwood on TriMet. Same goes for the arena in Vancouver which is also open year round & accessible via public transit.

Duly noted and thanks. I was looking as I rely on public transit. For reference, both the Vancouver, WA and Sherwood rinks are about a 1.5 hours from downtown. The Beaverton one may be a bit more doable but it's only one bus line running there (but not too badly with a 15 minute frequency during most of the day). The central location of the Lloyd Center location allows several light rail (MAX) lines and bus lines as well as well as having quite a bit of parking for those driving.

 

[Karen-W]

Duly noted and thanks. I was looking as I rely on public transit. For reference, both the Vancouver, WA and Sherwood rinks are about a 1.5 hours from downtown. The Beaverton one may be a bit more doable but it's only one bus line running there (but not too badly with a 15 minute frequency during most of the day). The central location of the Lloyd Center location allows several light rail (MAX) lines and bus lines as well as well as having quite a bit of parking for those driving.

Oh, I know that the Lloyd Center rink is easily the most centrally located for anyone on the Eastside or near downtown. Beaverton is probably the most accessible but even it isn't the easiest to get to since it's nowhere close to the light rail.

 

[Sylvia]

Save Lloyd Ice Coaltion's Instagram account: https://www.instagram.com/savelloydice/

Samuel Mindra demonstrated his trademark spin in a "Cheap Skate" public skating session there yesterday:

Save Lloyd Ice Coalition (SLIC) on Instagram: "Public skate kicked off with a beautiful exhibition from @axisoniceofficial! Where else can you see elite skaters like this and join them on the ice on a casual Thursday night? #savelloydicecoalition #m

2,424 likes, 37 comments - savelloydice on February 26, 2026: "Public skate kicked off with a beautiful exhibition from @axisoniceofficial! Where else can you see elite skaters like this and join them on the ice on a casual Thursday night? #savelloydicecoalition #makeaskatement #lloydcenter...

www.instagram.com

Donate to Help Preserve Portland’s Beloved Ice Rink, organized by Save Lloyd Ice Coalition

For over half a century, the Lloyd Center Ice Rink has served as a … Save Lloyd Ice Coalition needs your support for Help Preserve Portland’s Beloved Ice Rink

www.gofundme.com

Please keep us updated, @DustPuppyOI !

 

[barbk]

Wow. I used to skate there when I had a long consulting job in Portland! I even saw Tonya Harding skate there several times. It will be a shame if it is lost.

 

[Karen-W]

Wow. I used to skate there when I had a long consulting job in Portland! I even saw Tonya Harding skate there several times. It will be a shame if it is lost.

Well, the current rink is, for sure, going to be lost. The effort now is to require it to be replaced by the new development company.

 

[Sylvia]

The Leonards - Tally, 80, and Jerry, 75 (last competed as an ice dance team at 1970 U.S. Nationals) - would have skated at Lloyd Center's ice rink for 60 years next year... except for the mall rink's upcoming closure - video story by The Oregonian: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/he7hYqwlgTs

The Leonards are pictured in this article 2 weeks ago (March 6):

Lloyd Center plan, and its ice rink’s fate, are sealed with a vote

Under the master plan, Lloyd Center and its ice rink are expected to be torn down to one day make way for a mixed-use development.

www.oregonlive.com

More than 600 pages of public testimony. A “Save Lloyd” campaign. A nod from the Quad God, a.k.a. Olympic figure skater Ilia Malinin.
An eclectic movement to freeze the Lloyd Center’s ice rink and businesses in time slid into the reality of local government and the mall’s private ownership Thursday, when the Portland Design Commission unanimously voted to approve owners’ master plan that calls for the mall’s redevelopment.
Under the master plan, Lloyd Center and its ice rink are expected to be torn down to one day make way for a mixed-use development on the nearly 30-acre site in Northeast Portland. KKR Real Estate Finance Trust and Urban Renaissance Group have owned the Lloyd Center site since late 2021, after previous owners defaulted on debt backed by the property.

The Lloyd Center rink was the first shopping‑center ice rink upon its opening in 1960, drawing more than million visitors in its first two years. Originally open‑air, it was enclosed in the 1990s and reduced in size in a 2014 renovation. Once the rink closes, the area’s closest ice skating options will be Mountain View Ice Arena in Vancouver and the Winterhawks‑run facilities in Sherwood and Beaverton.

I'm sorry, @DustPuppyOI.

 

[Sylvia]

My condolences, @DustPuppyOI.

She learned to skate at Lloyd Center’s ice rink. Now she’s watching it disappear. July 15th Portland Tribune article:

She learned to skate at Lloyd Center's ice rink. Now she's watching it disappear. - The Portland Tribune

When Lloyd Center closes next month, Violet Albert will lose more than her first job. She’ll also lose the only ice rink where she’s has ever skated. The 16-year-old figure […]

portlandtribune.com

When Lloyd Center closes next month, Violet Albert will lose more than her first job. She’ll also lose the only ice rink where she’s has ever skated.
The 16-year-old figure skater recently landed her first job at the place where she learned to skate: the Lloyd Center ice rink. In less than a month, it will all be demolished. [...]
Lloyd Center’s last day open to the public is Aug. 8. The mall, which opened in 1960, is closing as part of a broader redevelopment led by Urban Renaissance Group that will replace much of the largely vacant shopping center with housing, open space and new commercial development. [...]

Efforts to save the mall and its iconic ice rink recently fell short. On July 8, the Portland City Council unanimously denied appeals seeking to preserve the redevelopment plan approved earlier this year. In April, the Save Lloyd Campaign and Save Lloyd Ice Coalition appealed the land use decision on two grounds, but all 10 councilors present voted to deny the appeals.
The City Council is scheduled to take a final vote July 29.
“This was never just about saving one skating rink,” said SLIC spokesperson and co-appellant Jenny Gilmore-Robinson in a statement. “From the beginning, our goal was to help Portland’s leaders understand how much year-round skating access means to the people who call this city home.”

 

[DustPuppyOI]

It's an end of era. The local kids are going to be hit hardest, I think, but as featured above, the skating community spans a large age range (I sometimes catch Tally and Jerry if I squeeze in a late extended lunch skating practice) and the central location and accessibility is going to be lost.

There have been some very short videos featuring coaches and skaters that have been put out recently as well.

Lloyd Center Ice Rink on Instagram: "Dreams have been created and chased here for 66 years. Director & editor: @kellan.edits AD & Producer: @shannonlitte Producer & Prod. Designer: @mgmannix DP: @dillonvibes Swing: @cecestocker Talent: @danigurl99"

lcicerink on July 28, 2026: "Dreams have been created and chased here for 66 years. Director & editor: @kellan.edits AD & Producer: @shannonlitte Producer & Prod. Designer: @mgmannix DP: @dillonvibes Swing: @cecestocker Talent: @danigurl99".

www.instagram.com

kellan embry on Instagram: "the spark of imagination brings everyone to skate for the first time. no one understands that spark better than the kids that see their whole future ahead of them. Director & editor: @kellan.edits AD & Producer: @shannon

81 likes, 3 comments - kellan.edits on July 25, 2026: "the spark of imagination brings everyone to skate for the first time. no one understands that spark better than the kids that see their whole future ahead of them. Director & editor: @kellan.edits AD & Producer: @shannonlitte Producer &...

www.instagram.com

kellan embry on Instagram: "lloyd center is the most transit accessible and affordable rink in portland. it is one of the key aspects that made it the definitive jumping off point for so many skaters for over half a century. Director & editor: @kell

168 likes, 5 comments - kellan.edits on July 25, 2026: "lloyd center is the most transit accessible and affordable rink in portland. it is one of the key aspects that made it the definitive jumping off point for so many skaters for over half a century. Director & editor: @kellan.edits AD &...

www.instagram.com

If you're a Portland local, try and squeeze in a skate or two before this rink closes for good. There's even a prom this Friday, July 31st. https://www.bridgetowniceskatingcollective.org/events

 

[skateycat]

I have organized my vacation to skate at Lloyd Center one more time. I fly there on Saturday and have scheduled myself to go skating on Sunday. I even have arranged for a lesson. Message me if you’re going to be around on Sunday!

 

[Sylvia]

How was your final skate there @skateycat?

Excerpt from an August 3rd Oregon live.com article (only part I could see as a non-subscriber):
How do you say goodbye to a not-so-dead mall, unexpectedly reborn again?
Naturally, with a somber bike ride à la funeral procession, neon-studded mall power walk with a secret silent-disco twist, and food-court music festival that rivals Lollapalooza.
Lloyd Center has cycled through more iterations than your run-of-the-mill shopping mall. Opened on Aug. 1, 1960, the Northeast Portland landmark was a marvel of its era — at the time, the largest mall in the United States and the first to feature an ice-skating rink.

8 wild and wonderful ways Portland is throwing the ultimate farewell party for Lloyd Center

In true Lloyd Center fashion, the mall’s last day will be packed with a food court vendor fair, magic show, a funereal bike ride, mall walk, music, ice skating and more.

www.oregonlive.com

 

[skateycat]

How was your final skate there @skateycat
[/QUOTE]

It was good! Busy but not packed to the gills. Warming up before my lesson, I realized my best bet was just to ask for a refresher on basic stroking and crossovers and to see if there was any hope of acquiring a two foot spin.

Finn was super helpful and easy to learn from. Basic stroking and crossovers got refreshed. Two foot spin got attempted, but it turns out I am truly one of nature’s non-spinners. I think that’s what I took the splat on. I’ve got a little bruising on my left forearm and my right hand, but I gave it my best shot.

Today I scheduled a spa day , but tomorrow I may go back to practice what I learned.

 

[Sylvia]

Lacking a Municipal Ice Rink, Portland Found One at Lloyd Center by Rachel Saslow (Aug. 4, 2026):

Lacking a Municipal Ice Rink, Portland Found One at Lloyd Center

Generations of figure skaters grew up on the mall’s ice, the only public rink within city limits. Now they’re looking for what’s next.

www.wweek.com

Excerpts:

May served on the leadership team of the Save Lloyd Ice Coalition, which showed up in force to testify at the City Council earlier this summer to appeal the master plan. That effort didn’t save the rink. Nor did getting Ilia “Quad God” Malinin involved on social media during the Olympic Winter Games. But it did bring visibility to the glaring lack of ice rinks in Portland proper, and the group hopes to translate that political momentum into a new year-round, permanent ice rink in Portland.
“The adults in the room could have done something,” May says. “There should be a rink because this is a beautiful thing. And then to have it, poof, disappear? I’m sure that it has fueled my fire.”
“More ice is good ice.” That’s a saying in the skating and hockey community that gets at the constant worry over access to any ice rink. Lloyd has never been good ice. It’s about a third the size of a standard rink, too small for hockey and some elite figure skating routines. But its limitations never prevented it from becoming a community hub. The skaters at Lloyd are diverse in age, race, skating prowess, and the paths they took to the sport. Inclusivity is at its core, welcoming everyone from competitive skaters to mall shoppers who impulsively decide to take a spin.
Lloyd ice might have been bad ice, but it was our ice.
The rink is centrally located, accessible by public transportation, and open for public skating 50 hours each week, including 12 hours of learn-to-skate classes. Many cities operate municipal ice rinks (Philadelphia has five), similar to having a community pool or golf course, but Portland Parks & Recreation does not have one in its portfolio, so Lloyd Center accidentally became ours.
Once the rink closes, its skaters and coaches will scatter out into a figure skating diaspora that reaches to the farthest corners of Portland’s suburbs: Sherwood Ice Arena, Mountain View Ice Arena in Vancouver, and Winterhawks Skating Center in Beaverton.

Now, the group May helped organize is refashioning itself into an official nonprofit organization that will promote ice skating in Portland and try to find or create a fresh sheet of ice within city limits. The Save Lloyd Ice Coalition is becoming the Bridgetown Ice Skating Collective. The new group is busy fundraising and meeting with city politicians in its quest for a 1-acre, flat parcel of land for a permanent new rink. [...]
There are also early murmurs of an idea to establish a full sheet of ice at the Portland Expo Center. Options include building a freestanding rink outside, like a sports bubble in the parking lot, or retrofitting a space indoors.
Metro owns the Expo Center; spokesman Nick Christensen says the organization is evaluating operational requirements, costs, scheduling impacts, and overall viability of a rink. “Once that evaluation is complete, we’ll have a much better sense of whether the concept is feasible and, if so, what a potential timeline could look like,” Christensen says.

As Wendy May laces up, skating coach Lydia Finch is on the ice leading a 30-minute private lesson with a young student. The girl is rehearsing her program to Madonna’s “Like a Prayer.”
Finch, 26, started skating at Lloyd Center when she was 4. Her father worked graveyard shifts and her mother brought her to the mall in the mornings so he could sleep. Finch saw the skaters and asked to take lessons. It clicked. Finch skated competitively through her teens and began coaching at age 18.
Aug. 8, she’ll be out of a job. A few Lloyd coaches have gotten scooped up by the suburban rinks, but for the most part, those facilities are already fully staffed. So far, Finch’s nearest job prospect is at a rink in Eugene, and that’s too far.
“All of that work and the relationship and the time you’ve given to those kids is just tossed and given to another coach,” Finch says, adding that she’s worked with some of the same coaches since she was 5.
She’s gone back to school for medical assisting as a backup plan, in case her career on the ice is over.
May stands up along the railing to watch Finch coach. “That’s somebody doing what they’re born to do.”

Finch's longtime coaches were Mari Malama and Nani Tanaka (coaches of Samuel Mindra & Ryan Azadpour) - Aug. 2025 article:

Carousel FSC, Lloyd Center Ice Rink Growing the Future of Skating - U.S. Figure Skating

For generations of families in the Pacific Northwest, the Lloyd Center Ice Rink in Portland, Oregon, has been a warm and inviting place, where cherished childhood

usfigureskating.org

ETA another local article+video (KOIN 6 CBS Portland): https://www.koin.com/sports/its-heartbreaking-lloyd-center-ice-rink-instructor-reflects-on-closure/

Brenna Greene on Instagram: "At the end of the week, the Lloyd Center will close and with that comes the closure of the historic ice rink there. When the mall opened in 1960, it was the first to have a rink in it. Just eight years after the rink wa

1,780 likes, 90 comments - brennagreene_ on August 5, 2026: "At the end of the week, the Lloyd Center will close and with that comes the closure of the historic ice rink there. When the mall opened in 1960, it was the first to have a rink in it. Just eight years after the rink was opened, Ruth...

www.instagram.com

Bridgetown Ice Skating Collective

www.bridgetowniceskatingcollective.org

 

[Sylvia]

A personal tribute from the local reporter above:

Brenna Greene on Instagram: "One last jump on the ice that raised me 🥺 Goodbye Lloyd Center. Thank you for changing my life."

285 likes, 5 comments - brennagreene_ on August 8, 2026: "One last jump on the ice that raised me 🥺 Goodbye Lloyd Center. Thank you for changing my life.".

www.instagram.com

ETA - Jerry and Tally Leonard enjoy one last skate at the Lloyd Center Ice Rink:

Portland Mercury on Instagram: "Jerry and Tally Leonard enjoy one last skate at the Lloyd Center Ice Rink. There were cheers, tears, and roses tossed on the ice by the end of the dance. Many in attendance began chanting “long live Lloyd” when the c

57K likes, 666 comments - portlandmercury on August 8, 2026: "Jerry and Tally Leonard enjoy one last skate at the Lloyd Center Ice Rink. There were cheers, tears, and roses tossed on the ice by the end of the dance. Many in attendance began chanting “long live Lloyd” when the couple got off...

www.instagram.com

KATU News on Instagram: "Jerry and Tally fell in love on the ice. As the Lloyd Center prepares to close, the Portland couple is getting ready for one final skate at the rink that brought them together — and became a part of their lives."

4,486 likes, 63 comments - katutv on August 8, 2026: "Jerry and Tally fell in love on the ice. As the Lloyd Center prepares to close, the Portland couple is getting ready for one final skate at the rink that brought them together — and became a part of their lives.".

www.instagram.com

Aww, red roses were thrown on the ice for them after they finished skating : https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbzcNKchI6n/

The Oregonian on Instagram: "Jerry and Tally's last skate at the Lloyd Center ❤️ 🥹 ❤️ Photos by @BethNakamura/The Oregonian"

7,422 likes, 36 comments - theoregonian on August 8, 2026: "Jerry and Tally's last skate at the Lloyd Center ❤️ 🥹 ❤️ Photos by @BethNakamura/The Oregonian".

www.instagram.com

 

[Sylvia]

The last lap at Lloyd Center: how America is losing its mall ice rinks by Talia Barrington (Aug. 11):

The last lap at Lloyd Center: how America is losing its mall ice rinks

The rink where Tonya Harding first skated was an affordable community institution for six decades. Its closure echoes the disappearance of mall ice across the US

www.theguardian.com

Even as malls have declined in America, attendance at the Lloyd Center rink endured, supporting a Learn To Skate USA program with one of the highest enrollment rates in the nation.
But last Saturday that all came to an end, when skaters laced up at Lloyd Center for the last time, and the mall, along with its rink, was finally shuttered.
Lloyd Center’s demise is not isolated. For decades, ice rinks served as both spectacle and public amenity at shopping malls across the US, placing a sport often associated with private clubs directly in the path of ordinary families. But as aging malls have closed or been redeveloped, many of those rinks have disappeared, eliminating some of the most visible and accessible entry points to skating.
“The environment is pretty special,” said Wendy May, 69, the day before the closure. “Because people on the upper levels are watching, a regular skater can feel like they’re performing. And there’s a lot of public skaters, so a lot of people are taking their first strokes and glides on this ice. There are birthday parties, and it’s a community center in a big way.”
That feeling of community extended beyond the rink boards. Coaches and skating moms described how in recent years Lloyd Center had become a haven for teens and adults to socialize, with chess and bridge clubs, mall walkers, Zine meet-ups and residents seeking respite from smoky summers filling the space despite the emptying store fronts.

With the closure of Lloyd Center, Portland has now been left without a rink within the city limits. Part of Lloyd Center’s appeal was its central location near the light rail and bus routes as well as several highways, offering a diverse range of skaters easy access to a sport that has been known for its exclusivity.
That distinction is central to what is being lost nationwide. Purpose-built skating complexes may offer larger and better ice, but many are situated on the suburban fringe, difficult to reach without a car and heavily booked by hockey teams or competitive skating clubs. Mall rinks made skating part of ordinary life: a child could discover the sport while running errands with a parent, and a casual skater could step on to the ice without first joining a team or academy.
That accessibility, along with the efforts of coaching staff to make pricing straightforward and affordable, was working. According to US Figure Skating’s vice-president of membership, Elise Preston, Lloyd Center had the largest Learn To Skate USA program in Oregon with nearly 800 participants last season. The next largest program in Oregon is less than half of the size, with about 300 skaters. Management at the Lloyd Center rink recorded an average of 700 class enrollments per multi-week session.

 

[justka777]

Man that sucks. I’m not in Portland, but my hometown rink got “temporarily closed” for redevelopment and it basically killed the weekday public sessions overnight. The annoying part wasn’t even the drive to the next rink, it was losing the easy, last-minute access and the community vibe. If you rely on transit too, that central location is everything, especially for kids and anyone squeezing practice in around work/school.

 

[justka777]

When we were bouncing between rinks after ours shut down, the only thing that kept me skating was finding open slots without calling five places and waiting for emails back. A few of the facilities around me pushed people to CatchCorner for that since it shows real-time ice availability and lets you reserve without the usual phone tag.