A motley crew of skaters and elected officials joined together in Lower Manhattan on Wednesday to celebrate the opening of a new skate park beneath the Brooklyn Bridge.
Mayor Eric Adams joined the likes of Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine, City Council Member Christopher Marte, and Tony Hawk’s The Skatepark Project on the Brooklyn Bridge’s 140th anniversary to mark the opening of The Arches. This open space is hoped to boost local businesses while also marking a safe place for people of all ages to enjoy activities like skating and basketball.
The park, which is located at the Intersection of Rose Street and Avenue of the Finest, has been closed for 13 years due to construction — and on May 24, it finally opened back up with a ceremonial ribbon cutting.
“I was a skateboarder, I knew how to do a few tricks and I’m gonna brush up on them and come out and use this park,” Adams joked. “This is a great moment and it’s a symbol of what Commissioner Rodriguez is doing and DOT of how we use our open spaces.”
Borough President Levine also heralded the opening as a landmark moment, calling it a prime location for so many Downtown New Yorkers to enjoy.
“You got four public schools within like two blocks of here. You got one of the largest public housing developments in New York City,” Levine remarked. “We got some major housing complexes. We got chapel towers. We got Southbridge Towers right here. We got Pace University. We got the Office of the Manhattan Borough President. It’s all right here within two blocks. This is going to be one of the most heavily used public spaces from the moment it opens.”
No sooner was the ribbon cut, skaters began grinding and ollieing their way around the grounds. The elated attendees held up their boards and cheered while it was officially christened with several skaters showing off tricks by leaping over the staircase much to the delight of onlookers.
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