There has been somewhat of a roller skate revival in recent years with people of all ages strapping skates to their feet in fleeting moments of freedom and fun. For some, rolling on eight wheels is nostalgic, bringing back the good ol’ days of the roller rinks which were popular in the ‘70s and ‘80s. One of those skating rinks, Rollercade in Longview, Texas, featured a roller skate car perched high on a pole along Longview’s U.S. Highway 259 for several years to draw in crowds. Removed in 2014 for restoration, the giant four-wheeled boot is now fully functional thanks to an art teacher’s partnership with a Virginia car collector group.
The car began its restoration at Longview High School after art teacher Jeff Hull used a crane to get the skate down to the ground. Hull’s students worked together to restore the roller skate, including carefully sanding it to reveal the original blue and yellow lettering that had been covered. It reportedly made its first debut in the Houston Art Car Parade last year.
Longview High School art students begin restoration on the Rollercade skate car.Zak Wellerman/ KYTX CBS 19
Aaron Lawyer, owner of a unique private car collection in Virginia Beach, recalls seeing the partially finished roller skate in the parade. “It caught our eye just from seeing it,” he said to the local CBS 19 news channel, “Multiple people were telling us about it and tagging us on Instagram. It felt like something we needed in our collection.”
After exchanging a few emails, Lawyer met Hull in Houston to see the car solidify the partnership needed to lace up the skate’s restoration. Hull had tried to find a closer restoration shop, but the places he checked didn’t have the special touch that such a unique project needed. Lawyer expressed his thankfulness for the honor of not only restoring the historic icon, but also for housing the skate car in his collection once it was completed.
“We just had really limited resources. We had limited pockets, and he had unlimited pockets,” Hull said. “He kept it exactly the same and kept the name the same. He matched everything exactly the way it was.”
Lawyer’s crew rebuilt everything they could to the original specifications, including the engine and transmission, all the wiring, and exterior details. The only different detail is the interior, as there were no records of what it may have looked like. It now features ‘70s shag carpeting to pay homage to its roots. The skate also rolls on brand new wheels. The project took around three months to complete.
Rollercade historic photo
“We really tried to restore this iconic piece to its original condition,” Lawyer said to CBS. “It’s our first roller skate, I’ll tell you that. We do a lot of theme cars, and we recondition some original movie cars.”
The fully functional and driving street legal roller skate was officially revealed at the Coastal Virginia Auto Show in November 2022.
Although Virginia Beach is now where the skate car resides, Lawyer has plans to take the icon back to Longview for a homecoming visit soon. “It’s been a part of Longview for a long time. And it’s got to come back to Longview for a little while,” Lawyer told CBS.
In addition to making an appearance at its hometown, Lawyer and his crew are making plans to drive the roller skate from Chicago to California via Route 66 sometime this summer or early fall. “We want to put this roller skate on the worldwide map, not just one place. It’s so unique,” Lawyer said.