Features

While Iceland shuttered its doors Saturday, supporters are marshaling their efforts to save the facility—including a hearing Wednesday before the Landmarks Preservation Commission (LPC). 

Berkeley’s now missing rink is one of two beloved recreational facilities on the LPC agenda as potential landmarks. The second structure is the old Berkeley High School Gymnasium, home of the warm water pool so highly valued by the East Bay’s disabled community. 

Backing the application to landmark the skating rink at 2727 Milvia St. is a coalition of supporters who have told the commission the facility has a cherished place in skating history, both as the home of Olympic medalists and as the first competition rink built west of the Mississippi River. 

The application to landmark the rink was filed by supporters who hope to raise the funds needed to buy the rink. 

After opening in 1940, the rink became a major venue, hosting the U.S. National Figure Skating Championships in 1947, 1957 and 1966, as well as the games of UC Berkeley’s hockey team for training sessions for the U.S. Olympic skating teams. 

An Art Deco building, the structure is virtually pristine. 

Problems arose after a leak from the system’s ammonia-based cooling system led to a city order to replace the refrigeration on the grounds that fumes from a leak could endanger the lives of occupants and neighbors. 

A temporary system was brought in, but the owners said costs were too high to continue operation, leading to the shutdown. 

The building is owned by a corporation held by the Zamboni family of Southern California, manufacturers of the streetsweeper-like machines used to maintain the surface of ice in skating rinks. 

LPC members repeatedly delayed acting on the application at the request of attorney Rena Rickles, who represents the Zambonis, and real estate broker John Gordon. 

A subcommittee of LPC members worked on the language of the proposed Notice of Decision, the formal document landmarking the structure, which will be presented to the commission Thursday night. 

“We received a copy Friday, and it looks quite good,” said Elizabeth Grassetti, one of the applicants and a member of Save Berkeley Iceland, the group of skating enthusiasts which has been working to raise funds to buy the rink. 

Gym application 

The move to landmark the old high school gym came from the commission itself. 

The 1922 structure at 1920 Allston Way has been earmarked for demolition by the Berkeley Unified School District, although the environmental impact report adopted by the school board in January has been challenged in a lawsuit filed March 3 by a group called Friends Protecting Berkeley's Resources. 

The pool has strong advocates from the disabled community, who are able to perform exercises in the pool’s heated waters that would be otherwise impossible for them to perform.  

The building, called an architectural gem by LPC members Carrie Olson and Lesley Emmington, was designed by architects Walter H. Ratcliff Jr. and William C. Hays. 

Ratcliff, the founder of the Bay Area’s oldest surviving architectural firm, designed several other Berkeley buildings designated city landmarks by the LPC, including the Fidelity Savings building at 2323 Shattuck Ave. LPC members reviewed plans to restore that building during their March meeting. 

Other items on the agenda for Thursday’s meeting, which begins at 7:30 p.m. in the North Berkeley Senior Center, 1901 Hearst Ave., include: 

• Proposed alterations to the landmark Southern Pacific Railroad station at 700 University Ave., which needs minor modifications to accommodate a new tenant, Brennan’s Irish Pub, which will be moving from its current location on the eastern end of the same block to make way for a new housing and commercial development. 

• An application from the owner for Structure of Merit status for a residence at 2611 Ashby Ave. 

• Applications for minor alterations to previously designated buildings a 1770 La Loma Ave. and 2555 Rose Walk.