Was last evening an historic moment for the legendary Culver Ice Rink?
Officially, at the behest of the City Council, the rink transitioned from an entertainment palace into a much less glamourous — but doubtless more profitable – retail outlet, the new home of Harbor Tools.
Zoning for the spacious parking lot was changed from R-1 (residential) to R-2 (commercial).
This once heavily emotional changeover has been developing for 22 months, ever since the rink was closed by landlord Mike Karagozian in February 2014.
No takers were found who were willing to prevent the ice from melting.
Unlike loud and large protests that erupted when Mr. Karagozian shut down the rink, the Council’s final act of burial almost was conducted inconspicuously.
It was late at night.
Speakers were sparse.
Protests were invisible.
The somberly proper hour for a funeral that once featured heated historic overtones, so long was the popular rink a Culver City fixture.
The final nail was hammered into the Culver Ice Arena coffin with all the explosiveness of a feather ramming into a pillow.
“The true historic moment,” contended Vice Mayor Andy Weissman, “was when the ice rink closed.
“It (soon) became obvious that no one was interested in operating an ice rink in a manner that would satisfy the landlord.
“What happened last night was not unexpected by any stretch.
“Once it became clear that there was not anybody who was going to operate an ice rink,” said Mr. Weissman, “it was just a question of when a commercial enterprise would be allowed to operate.”
