Coney Roller Skating This Summer at Childs

The mystery of where the new, temporary roller rink in Coney Island will be this spring and summer has been solved. The rink, which will be operated by entrepreneur Dianna Carlin, AKA Lola Staar, will be in the historic Childs Restaurant Building, which developers are planning to turn into an eatery and entertainment venue. The original plan announced for last year was to have restaurants set up stands temporarily in the building. Ms. Carlin, who has long spoken of her dream of a Coney rink, announced earlier that she was in the final stages of making arrangements for a location this year. According to an email from reader she made the announcement and told people about it at a "Save Coney Island" event at Southpaw in Park Slope last night. The story is confirmed in an article in the New York Post this morning. The Post reports:

The Lola Staar Dreamland Roller Rink will open its doors March 22 in the long-vacant Child's Restaurant building on West 21st Street because Carlin, a boutique owner, won a "make your dreams come true" contest hosted by Glamour magazine and Tommy Hilfiger.

The Child's Building is a big, open historic structure decorated with nautical themed terra cotta elements. Taconic Investments, which is the other major developer in Coney Island, has a 49-year lease on the building. Last year, the building was reopened for the Mermaid Ball after the Mermaid Parade. While developer Joe Sitt has encountered massive opposition to his plans, Taconic has hit little controversy and even appears to have won over many in the Coney Island community. While it plans to develop high-rises and big buildings, its property is east of the main amusement district.