Local entrepreneur Varun Kataria has unveiled a venue with a mix of colourful, retro details that contains the only permanent roller rink in New York City.
Set in Bushwick, Brooklyn, Xanadu occupies a former industrial warehouse, which was converted by Kataria and his team, who also run the nearby restaurant and venue Turks Inn and Sultan Room.
Xanadu is a multi-functional space with a massive roller rink in Brooklyn
The multi-functional space now contains a roller rink, stage, bar area and large bathrooms, one of which can be converted into a smaller "club within a club".
According to Kataria, the space originally had columns throughout, but to make a large enough surface for an uninterrupted roller rink the ceiling needed to be supported without columns. It includes a mix of colours and patterns
Working with a local architect friend, Kataria created a structure around the existing structure, suspending the ceiling from the superstructure in order to support the weight, essentially creating a second ceiling.
This allows for a wide space centred around the hand-painted, maple-wood rink, but without sacrificing details for the attendant spaces.
Plentiful seating lines the leisure spaces around the rink
The result is a "fun and maximum" space that contains a dizzying mix of patterns and colours.
At the entrance, a desk was placed to rent out custom skates. From here, a walkway passes under an archway anchored by a sofa that wraps around a pole. Guests pass...