LONGVIEW, Texas — A piece of Longview history, which began its restoration process at Longview High School, is now back to its former glory thanks to some help from a car collection group on the East Coast.
Until about seven to eight years ago, a huge roller skate-shaped car sat on top of a pole at the former Rollercade skating rink, located at Eastman Road's intersection with Tryon Road and Eden Drive in Longview.
That’s when Longview High School art teacher Jeff Hull used a crane to get the skate down to the ground. Afterward, he collaborated with a Letourneau University professor to get the vehicle running and during the 2019 Christmas parade, the skate made its return to the road.
Hull’s art students worked hard to restore the roller skate, including sanding the vehicle to get the original blue and yellow lettering of yesteryear back that had been covered up. Last year, the car made its debut in the Houston Art Car Parade.
And a meeting in Houston between Hull and Aaron Lawyer, owner of a unique private car collection in Virginia Beach, Virginia, solidified a partnership needed to fuel the skate’s full restoration.
Hull recalled that Lawyer came down to Houston last year for just one day to be able to meet Hull and see the car in person after they had been communicating remotely.
He had tried to find a place that could finish restoring the skate but other places did not have the capabilities.
“We just had really limited resources. We had limited pockets, and he had unlimited pockets,” Hull said. “He kept it exactly the same and kept the name the same. He matched everything exactly the way it was. He completely rebuilt the engine and he rebuilt the transmission.”
The only artistic license Lawyer’s crews took was the interior, which now features shag carpeting in homage to its 1970s origins, as there was no point of reference on how the inside looked. It also has brand-new wheels and the entire electrical system was redone.
For Hull, seeing the skate car fully restored and operational is a “dream fulfilled” as well as a full-circle moment.
“Because my wife says I had been wanting to get that off the sign since we got to town,” Hull said. “It was all perfect timing - just to find a guy. That's going to live on and on and rep Longview, which never could've been possible with me.”
Lawyer’s crew of craftsmen worked on this project from the paint, upholstery and more for about three months on and off, ultimately debuting the car at the Coastal Virginia Auto Show in November 2022 as a fully driving street legal roller skate.
“We really tried to restore this iconic piece to its original condition,” Lawyer said. “It’s our first roller skate, I’ll tell you that. We do a lot of theme cars, and we recondition some original movie cars.”
He recalled seeing the skate car partially finished in the 2022 Houston Art Car Parade.
“It caught our eye just from seeing it. Multiple people were telling us about it and tagging us on Instagram. It felt like something we needed in our collection,” Lawyer said.
Lawyer added he’s thankful that Hull answered his email to begin the conversations that led to the skate car having a new home at Lawyer Garage.
And while Virginia Beach will be its new home, there are definitely plans for the icon to make its way back to Longview for a visit as soon as possible, Lawyer said.
“We were trying to make the (2022) Christmas parade but we couldn’t make it. We’re definitely going to do it,” Lawyer said. “It’s been a part of Longview for a long time. And it’s got to come back to Longview for a little while.”
In addition to a homecoming, Lawyer and his crew are planning to drive the roller skate down Route 66 from Chicago to California sometime this summer or early fall depending on weather and logistics.
“We want to put this roller skate on the worldwide map, not just one place. It’s so unique,” Lawyer said.
Hull also hopes to see the car in June while he’s near Virginia for a wedding.
In continuation of Lawyer and Hull’s partnership, the Lawyer Garage supplied the Longview High School Art Club with a 2015 Fiat 500 that became this year's art car project and was entered into the 2023 Houston Art Car Show.
Titled, “The Longview High School Imagine Art Club - Spirit of the Wolf,” the car features a family of three full-sized wolves on top and a moon above the vehicle.
Hull said the “Spirit of the Wolf” has been to Friday night football games and will make its next appearance at the Longview’s Special Ed Track and Field Day on Friday.
He remembered a 2004 graduate who lives in Houston found Hull and his students at the parade, where there were about 300,000 attendees.
The group also participated in a series of miniature parades for those not able to attend the regular event, like people at a senior citizens facility and the local children’s hospital.
“As we were moving forward, everybody was howling back at us,” Hull said.
Hull thanked the students for their dedication to transforming the car and his fellow art teachers Beck Black and Joshua Breedlove.
