Blyth Arena - Destruction

Destruction

In 1982 the U.S. Department of Agriculture made a push for energy conservation. One part of that program was funding to improve insulation on many buildings. The U.S. Forest Service received some of that money to insulate the roof of the arena and the next year the roof collapsed. What was not appreciated at the time was that the roof was not built to hold much snow, but had survived for 23 years without a problem. The plan had always been that heat generated from the ice chilling equipment in the arena traveled to the ceiling, warmed the uninsulated roof, and melted the snow. With the energy conservation measures in place, the snow did not melt due to waste heat and the building collapsed under the weight.

The arena was demolished in 1983 after the roof collapsed due to snow accumulation. The site is now a parking lot for the Squaw Valley ski resort.

Although gone, Blyth Arena is remembered as playing a major role in Olympic ice-hockey history, and to a lesser extent, in Olympic figure-skating history, where the host country won the men's (David Jenkins) and women's (Carol Heiss) individual titles.

In addition to its use by the Olympics, the arena was for several years a site for the Worldwide Church of God's annual Feast of Tabernacles. Evangelists Herbert W. Armstrong and Garner Ted Armstrong spoke at the arena several times during the period that the Feast of Tabernacles was held in Squaw Valley.