| Restoring LOVE Skatepark: From the Designer's Eyes |
| SOURCE : TeenZone Magazine (tzomag.com) DATE : March 16, 2008 BYLINE : J. Bosin |
From love comes Paine. This is the slogan of Paine's Park, a movement to help restore the skating area that
compromises LOVE park and make street skating legal and possible in Center City, Philadelphia. Ever since
Philadelphia closed the park in 2002, professional skateboarders wanted access to a new public skating
facility in the city, and "Franklin Paine's Skatepark Fund" was there to advocate for these young professionals.
Teen Zone had the opportunity to interview Tony Bracali, the architect who designed this revolutionary skate
park.
Bracali first got involved with the project when he was just starting his business and was reaching out for new
work. He told Teen Zone that "they were talking about things I had never thought about relating to
skateboarding before." His image of skateboarding, like that of many adults, was formed by what he saw on
TV, with things like the X games. This project, however, was bringing something new to the table, something
that combined skating with urban beauty. In the beginning, he volunteered his services, but when the city
officially launched the project he competed for and won his position as lead architect.
When creating the actual design, Bracali saw an "urban, public, outdoor" area that incorporates other activities
besides skateboarding. "I like to think when people see it, it does not conjure up in their mind what a typical
skate park will look like," he told Teen Zone. The park will be built on 2 acres along the Schuylkill river. It will
become not just a haven for skaters but an elegant symbol of the city, a connection between the river and the
Art Museum, a natural part of the city's environment.
The prime location of the park is one of the reasons it's projected cost is between 4 and 4.5 million dollars.
Because it's on the Ben Franklin Parkway, Bracali noted, there is a need "to build something beautiful there to
compliment everything else." Not to mention the "brick, stone, granite, and all kinds of other materials" that
simply can't be funded with a normal skatepark budget.
The city contributed the site and their initial grant of 1 million dollars paid for the design and construction
documents, but it expires at the end of 2009, so "there needs to be a big push in the next eight months"
funding-wise. Bracali said that we "can pretty much bet on the beginning of next summer to see work
happening on the site." And if all the money hasn't been collected, the construction will occur in phases. Once
construction begins, Bracali estimates it to take around six months to build. So it doesn't matter if you like to
skate or simply enjoy the splendor of the city, you're going to LOVE this park. Pun intended.
Check out the project's website to see some sick skateboarding footage and find out more about the park
design or how you can help support the effort.
compromises LOVE park and make street skating legal and possible in Center City, Philadelphia. Ever since
Philadelphia closed the park in 2002, professional skateboarders wanted access to a new public skating
facility in the city, and "Franklin Paine's Skatepark Fund" was there to advocate for these young professionals.
Teen Zone had the opportunity to interview Tony Bracali, the architect who designed this revolutionary skate
park.
Bracali first got involved with the project when he was just starting his business and was reaching out for new
work. He told Teen Zone that "they were talking about things I had never thought about relating to
skateboarding before." His image of skateboarding, like that of many adults, was formed by what he saw on
TV, with things like the X games. This project, however, was bringing something new to the table, something
that combined skating with urban beauty. In the beginning, he volunteered his services, but when the city
officially launched the project he competed for and won his position as lead architect.
When creating the actual design, Bracali saw an "urban, public, outdoor" area that incorporates other activities
besides skateboarding. "I like to think when people see it, it does not conjure up in their mind what a typical
skate park will look like," he told Teen Zone. The park will be built on 2 acres along the Schuylkill river. It will
become not just a haven for skaters but an elegant symbol of the city, a connection between the river and the
Art Museum, a natural part of the city's environment.
The prime location of the park is one of the reasons it's projected cost is between 4 and 4.5 million dollars.
Because it's on the Ben Franklin Parkway, Bracali noted, there is a need "to build something beautiful there to
compliment everything else." Not to mention the "brick, stone, granite, and all kinds of other materials" that
simply can't be funded with a normal skatepark budget.
The city contributed the site and their initial grant of 1 million dollars paid for the design and construction
documents, but it expires at the end of 2009, so "there needs to be a big push in the next eight months"
funding-wise. Bracali said that we "can pretty much bet on the beginning of next summer to see work
happening on the site." And if all the money hasn't been collected, the construction will occur in phases. Once
construction begins, Bracali estimates it to take around six months to build. So it doesn't matter if you like to
skate or simply enjoy the splendor of the city, you're going to LOVE this park. Pun intended.
Check out the project's website to see some sick skateboarding footage and find out more about the park
design or how you can help support the effort.
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