Located adjacent to Wisconsin State Fair Park, the center opened on January 1, 1993, and was named for Milwaukee philanthropists Jane and Lloyd Pettit.[2] The Pettit Center replaced, and was constructed on land once occupied by the Wisconsin Olympic Ice Rink,[3] an outdoor facility that was in operation from 1967 to 1991.The indoor climate-controlled Pettit Center was a major improvement and continues to attract many skating athletes from around the world.Olympic speed skating gold medalists Bonnie Blair and Dan Jansen were the rink's first skaters.Opened on December 31, 1992, the Pettit National Ice Center combined private and public sources for its construction funding.