05/28/2026
Reports surrounding the old Weissglass Gold Seal Dairy processing plant in Mariners Harbor revealed a nearly forgotten piece of Staten Island history. In February of 1976, just one year after the factory ceased operations, a transformer exploded which sparked a massive fire that burned for nearly three hours.
Yet long before the building became our first Skatepark, Weissglass was far more than just an old dairy plant. For decades the company was recognized as an industrial powerhouse tied deeply to Staten Islandās culture through its waterfront presence, Weissglass Stadium, and even a local stock car race track. At one point Weissglass was one of the most influential names of the North Shore, making the eventual decline of the property feel even more symbolic.
The factory had operated from 1933 until its closure in 1975, leaving the enormous industrial building vacant at the time of the explosion. While no evidence of foul play was ever publicly confirmed, the circumstances surrounding the fire became part of local speculation for years to come. For many long-time Staten Islanders no explanation fully settled the questions surrounding the propertyās sudden transition afterward. The location was quickly repurposed into an āIndoor Flea Marketā that rented space to various local businesses including Staten Islandās very first Farmerās Market, a miniature golf place, a boxing gym, and āSneakerās-R-Usā just to name a few.
Shortly afterward, āIsland Skateboardsā finally opened its doors. It was described as āa very basic two-run Skateparkā with its main attraction being a towering āramp-to-firewallā feature. The building already had a history of spectacle long before skateboarding ever entered the picture, but in many ways the skatepark carried that torch into the new generation. Almost nobody remembers who even built the park, yet former skaters could paint such vivid images of launching themselves at blazing speeds toward the massive factory walls, trying to ride high enough to nearly touch the ceiling-beams overhead.
Ironically the same āWallrideā structure that made the park legendary may have helped save the building when another fire tore through the complex just a few short years later in 1978. It damaged much of the property but the thick wall section prevented the entire structure from collapsing. After that many of the tenants āincluding the skatepark ā reportedly viewed the property as ācursedā causing their eventual disappearance.
But the story wasnāt over yet.
Just 9 months later ANOTHER fire erupted, and finally burned the entire building to the ground. During the last inferno two firefighters were severely injured by the collapse of that same firewall. Captain Richard Arnold and Fireman Eugene Christiansen of Engine Co. 158 , assigned to the 22nd Battalion, were dragged from the rubble and given treatment by Emergency Medical Services. Arnold was in shock, but conscious, with both lungs punctured by his broken ribs upon impact. Both of them thankfully recovered from their injuries and were quickly regarded as heroes of their time. They were later celebrated at the premiere of John Ritterās film entitled āHero at Largeā for their continued service.
Itās not surprising that the area is still used for places such as Western Beef, Planet Fitness, or Dollar Tree but whatās haunting is that fires, closures, demolitions, and failed redevelopment projects would become a recurring theme in Staten Island skateboarding history ā almost as if the boroughās skate spaces were never meant to survive for very long.
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