Built in 1909, The Maida Vale Roller Skating Palace and Club was said to be largest indoor-roller-skating rink in Europe, with a capacity of 2,900, an orchestra balcony, viewing galleries and a 'refreshment lounge'. It was the idea of American entrepreneur Louis Napoleon Schoenfeld, who had moved to the UK in 1899; he commissioned British commercial architects Lionel G Detmar and Theodore Gregg. .
Their vast rectangular structure had an elaborate Edwardian Baroque façade along Delaware Road. Classical figures, inlcuding Hermes, were among the embellishments. A grand opening attended by local dignitaries and a champion figure skater was held on 19 February 1910, but despite initial excitement, the rink immediately ran into financial difficulties as the enthusiasm for skating began to wane. The American Skating Palace Company was eventually wound-up in September 1912 and Schoenfeld was declared bankrupt.
The BBC announced plans for new music studios at Stratford in June 2018, and talked about moving there in "2022/23".
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