It was first mentioned publicly on October 9, 1895, when a proposal to convert an existing theater into an ice rink was published in the Glasgow Herald newspaper. The initial skating "season" lasted from May 16 to August 6, 1896. The rink was then closed for alterations, which transformed it into a theater for several months. Scotland's next artificial ice rink, Crossmyloof Ice Rink, would not open until 1907.