[3][4] In 1979, Billboard and Cue magazines praised the rink, respectively describing it as "a typical example of the modern roller disco" and "the front-runner of the roller-disco craze".

It had an oval-shaped lounge featuring "the modernistic scheme with the French idea accentuated", designed for what it referred to as the "comforts of the woman patron".

On May 3, 1977, New York's Board of Standards and Appeals approved the theater structure's enlargement and its "conversion into a skating rink with accessory uses".

[9] After a million-dollar renovation of the Sheepshead Bay Century movie theater,[10] the establishment reopened as a roller skating venue in 1977.

In 1979, Cue magazine praised the rink as "a fabulous $2 million roller disco in a former movie theater" and "the front-runner of the roller-disco craze".

[6] However, the day before the first "Disco Dip" event, New Jersey musician Mark Winter premiered his song "Roller Palace", likely named for the establishment.

Because the song's premiere preceded the "Disco Dip" by one day, it is likely the first roller disco-themed record, although it only received media coverage in October 1979.

[18] On May 5, 1987, New York's Board of Standards and Appeals granted a variance to approve the skating rink's conversion to a Jack LaLanne Health Club.

[28][29] House DJ Frankie Bones has recalled the rink's influence on his life and career, stating he learned how to skate at the Roll-A-Palace as a child.

[29] On his first visit to Roll-A-Palace on May 11, 1978, he "came home and typed up a HOT 100 record chart", placing The Eruptions' cover of "I Can't Stand the Rain" at #1.