Wollman Rink is an ice skating rink located in the southern part of Central Park in Manhattan, and it happens to be one of the most cinematic places in New York City: behind you are trees and the park, and in front of you are the skyscrapers of Midtown. In winter, both tourists and locals come here, and all of them are equally unsteady on the ice.
However, the history of this rink is far more interesting than it may seem at first glance.
Who Kate Wollman was and why the rink is named after her
In 1949, philanthropist Kate Wollman (1869–1955) donated 600,000 dollars to the city for the construction of the rink, in memory of her parents and four brothers. The rink opened on December 21, 1950, and immediately became extremely popular: more than 1.1 million people visited it in the first five years.
Kate Wollman was a distant relative of Henry and Richard Bloch, the founders of the well-known company H&R Block. The family had money, and she used it wisely.
Why Wollman Rink could not be repaired for six years
In 1980, the rink was closed for renovation. The plan was to spend 4.7 million dollars and complete the work in two and a half years. Six years passed, the city had already spent 12 million dollars, but the rink was still not operational.
The problem was the cooling system. Instead of a reliable refrigerant, officials decided to use a different one, similar to that used in air conditioning systems. The idea failed. Then it turned out that the contractor had not poured enough concrete into the foundation. Then rain flooded the construction site. Then one end of the rink turned out to be 15 centimeters lower than the other. At some point, officials announced that they would start everything from scratch, and this was already in 1986.
One official publicly promised to resign if the rink did not open by Thanksgiving Day. The rink did not open, and he actually had to resign.
New York tabloids wrote about the rink almost every day, treating it as a symbol of complete administrative failure in the city.
Wollman Rink and Donald Trump
From the window of his apartment in Trump Tower, Donald Trump watched the abandoned construction site every day. He offered to take over the renovation of the rink, but he was refused twice.
Everything changed when Trump wrote a letter to Mayor Ed Koch: “I and all other residents of New York City are tired of watching the disaster at Wollman Rink. It is a concrete slab with cooling pipes.” The press supported Trump, and the mayor had to give in.
Trump hired the Canadian company CIMCO, the best builder of hockey rinks in North America. Twenty two miles of pipes were installed in three days. On September 11, concrete was poured. On October 15, the rink was covered with ice, ahead of schedule and 750,000 dollars under budget.
The grand opening in November 1986 featured Olympic champions Dorothy Hamill and Scott Hamilton. Trump himself never stepped onto the ice. “People have been waiting for years to see me fall,” he later wrote in The Art of the Deal.
All profits from the first season were donated by Trump to charitable organizations, including United Cerebral Palsy and Gay Men’s Health Crisis. Attendance increased from 130,000 to 250,000 people per year.
The Trump Organization held the concession for the rink, with interruptions, from 1987 to 2021. In January 2021, Mayor Bill de Blasio terminated all contracts with Trump after the storming of the Capitol, a political decision that ended a 34-year history.
Since 2021, the rink has been managed by Wollman Park Partners, a joint venture of Harris Blitzer Sports and Entertainment, Related Companies, and Equinox Group.
Wollman Rink as a concert venue
Few people know that in the 1950s through the 1980s, Wollman Rink was transformed into an open-air concert venue with 8,000 seats during the summer. Performers included Billie Holiday, Bruce Springsteen, Dave Brubeck, the Allman Brothers, and Billy Joel. In 1957, radio host Jean Shepherd held a series of fifteen open-air jazz evenings here over fifteen consecutive nights.
Heavy rains in the late 1970s damaged the sound equipment and the structure of the rink itself, which ultimately led to its closure in 1980.
Wollman Rink in film
Wollman Rink has appeared in dozens of films. The most famous include Love Story (1970), Home Alone 2 (1992), and Serendipity (2001). If you have seen at least one romantic film set in New York City, you have already seen this rink.
Visitor information
📍 Wollman Rink / 830 5th Ave, New York, NY 10065
Subway: A, B, C, D, 1 to 59th Street–Columbus Circle or N, R, W to 5th Avenue–59th Street
The rink operates from late October through April
Admission: from 12 dollars on weekdays to 19 dollars on weekends, skate rental 9 dollars
Tip: In Central Park, there is a place where you can skate for free — Conservatory Water on the east side between 72nd Street and 75th Street. There is no artificial ice surface, only n
