If heaven is a halfpipe, Brooklyn will soon have a little slice of paradise.
New York City has partnered with Tony Hawk’s The Skatepark Project to bring two new skate parks to Kings County in the next three years, Mayor Eric Adams announced last week.
“These new parks will be able to host major competitions, they’ll boost tourism and the economy, and, most importantly, they’ll give New Yorkers, particularly our young people, a place to get outside, have fun, and express themselves on four wheels,” the mayor said in a statement.
The $24 million project is an effort to bring better skating facilities and recreational spaces to the outer boroughs, officials said, and two skate parks will also be constructed in the Bronx.
In Crown Heights, The Skatepark Project will renovate the “bare bones” Brower Park Skate Park — which is much-loved but a little worse for wear.
Working in partnership with local advocates, the mayor’s office, and Council Member Chi Ossé, the org will come up with a redesign that will increase the park’s total capacity and make it more accessible for all levels and all types of riders — whether they prefer skates, scooters, or skateboards.
“I am so excited to welcome The Skatepark Project into our neighborhood with an investment in our parks and in our youth,” Ossé said in a statement. “This type of public-private partnership is important to building the enriched communities we deserve, and there is no better place for this investment today than Council District 36.”
Officials said the renovated Brower Park Skate Park will be “state-of-the-art quality,” but with Crown Heights’ “distinct community flavor.”
But the city and the Skatepark Project have something perhaps more exciting planned for Mount Prospect Park, next to the Brooklyn Museum: the all-new Brooklyn Skate Garden, which will be one of the largest skate parks on the East Coast.
The Skatepark Project will partner with the Pablo Ramirez Foundation to design the 40,000-square-foot skate park, which is slated to include spectator seating, community gardens, security lighting, and open space for public programming.
Local Loren Michelle first pitched the idea for the Brooklyn Skate Garden in 2021, in an effort to memorialize her son, the late skater Pablo Ramirez.
“The Brooklyn Skate Garden is officially a reality,” said Council Member Crystal Hudson, in a statement. “I am excited to see this project through, engaging our neighbors throughout the process, and helping ensure that this public-private endeavor between TSP, NYC Parks, EDC, the Council, and the Brooklyn Borough President remains a model partnership for years to come.”
In her email newsletter, Hudson said the Brooklyn Skate Garden has been years in the making, and was inspired by the lack of proper “skateable” space in Central Brooklyn — which pushed skaters to make use of less-than-ideal spaces and surfaces.
The council member emphasized that the project will not close the park or affect most of its open space — and that it will remain open for visitors throughout construction.
The Skatepark Project plans to work closely with community members and stakeholders to develop sustainable designs for the new skate parks.
“True to our mission as an organization, these projects will serve the immediate needs of the community, celebrate the great legacy of skateboarding in New York, and will allow anyone within these communities who wants to learn to skate the opportunity to do so,” said Benjamin Anderson Bashein, Executive Director of The Skatepark Project.
