Roxy Skateboard Arena - Philadelphia PA

Park in old movie theater, burned down in an arson scheme

After a small fire damaged part of the 53 year old Roxy movie theater, the operation closed up shop and changed ownership.

All the seats were removed and skateboard ramps were installed.  The halfpipe was situated on the stage where the movie screen used to be.

The park was burned down on November 10, 1980.  New Jersey hitman Willard E. Moran accused the park's owner Richard Teasdale of hiring him to burn down the skatepark in hopes of collecting $67,000 in fire insurance.

A month after performing the arson, Moran killed roofing union boss John McCullough, which resulted in Moran being sentenced to death by electric chair.  Moran became a government informant after his conviction, and Teasdale was acquitted of any wrongdoing when it came out that Raymond "Long John" Martorano wanted to buy the theater to turn it into a bingo parlor, thus revealing motive for the arson.

Sources:

Cooper, Dick (Oct 6, 1982). "Moran Enters Guilty Plea to Extortion and Arson." The Philadelphia Inquirer

Philadelphia Daily News (Feb 11, 1983). "Judge Nixes Moran's Story, Frees Suspect."