Hengler's Ice Rink opened in January 1896. It was initially built as the Corinthian Bazaar in 1864 and later became the Palais Royal theater. The National Ice Skating Association eventually procured a lease for the building and went about converting it into an ice rink. It was also known as the National Skating Palace. Hockey at Hengler's, similar to Niagara Ice Rink, was impacted by the rink's unusual design. It was semi-circular at one end and tapering at the other, with the bases to the columns lining the edges of the ice-surface. Chicken coop-esque goals were used, just like at Niagara.