Caltrans Pays $3.1 Million for Landmark Skate Rink

The owners of the Skate Ranch, a 1950s landmark next to the Santa Ana Freeway, agreed Tuesday to sell the property to Caltrans for $3.1 million.

The building in north Santa Ana housing the wooden rink, which has been home to national roller-skating champions, could come down as early as next September as part of plans by the California Department of Transportation to widen the Santa Ana Freeway.

The deal ended years of legal battles between freeway planners and Gordon (Budd) Van Roekel, who built the facility in 1956. Van Roekel, a well-known figure in the sport, heads the Federation International of Roller Skating, which will stage demonstration events at the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

It also short-circuited a trial in Orange County Superior Court over Van Roekel’s long fight with Caltrans over how much of his 2.5-acre tract was needed for road work and how much the land was worth.

The settlement, which came after 11 days of trial, was suggested in part by Judge David G. Sills, according to Van Roekel’s attorney, Michael Rubin.

Caltrans had sought about one-fifth of the property, including a part of the building, for a Broadway overpass, and offered $469,000.

The offer allowed just $4,000 for the building. Caltrans argued that the prime location of the property meant Van Roekel was not putting it to its most profitable use. But Van Roekel balked, claiming that no one would buy the land for development because Caltrans’ freeway-widening plans were well known. He suggested that Caltrans take all of the property, but Caltrans filed a condemnation lawsuit instead.

The deal struck Tuesday gives Van Roekel and his wife, Maurice Carrie, $584,000 for one-fifth of the property, $2.5 million for the balance of the Skate Ranch property and $140,000 in legal fees.

Van Roekel said Tuesday: “We’re glad it’s over, it’s been going on for many years.

“But it’s a shame that Santa Ana is not going to have a skating center for the children. It’s the only one left.”

Two years ago, Van Roekel, who bought a winery in Temecula, rented the ranch to new operators. The deal calls for no demolition of the building before September, 1988.