WALLER STREET SKATE PARK REOPENS
Skateboarders and neighbors celebrated recent improvements to the Waller Street Skate Park on October 25, a project spearheaded by local skaters who helped shape its inclusive design that honors its street skateboarding roots.
The skateboarding area on the eastern edge of Golden Gate Park has been beloved since 2011, despite its cracked surface and markings leftover from days as a parking lot. The improvements unveiled this week aren’t just a makeover but a transformation of the area from informal gathering spot to officially sanctioned skate park. It's the first time in the nation that a city has transformed a decommissioned street into a permitted skate park.
The $218,000 makeover includes a high-quality asphalt repaving topped with acrylic overlay ideal for skating. The park kept its nontraditional spirit with elements meant to mimic the urban skate environment such as k-rails, granite blocks and curbs. A new landscape strip allows skaters to both sit and skate amid trees and shrubs. Many of the new elements were salvaged from San Francisco Public Works storage by DLX Skateshop—including granite ledges that once lured skaters to Market Street. Old defensive architecture elements that once attempted to stop skaters from grinding the edges and corners were removed.
A special thanks to the skate community that made this project possible, including Low Key San Francisco, DLX Skateshop, The Skatepark Project, San Francisco Skate Club, Mission Skateboards, FTC, Thrasher Magazine, and more!
