Brooklyn Banks
Brooklyn Banks is the unofficial name for the area under the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge.[1] The Brooklyn Banks are an original New York City skate spot, popular amongst the city's skateboarders and BMXers for its unique brick banks and other skateable features.[1] Since the mid 2010s, the Banks have been inaccessible due to the area being used as a storage site for construction on the Brooklyn Bridge.[1]
History[]
Starting in the late 1980s, significantly before any skateparks in New York City, the Brooklyn Banks provided one of the only banked skateable areas in the city.[2][3][4]
The skateboard community has rallied to save the banks on multiple occasions.[3] Led by skateboarder and community organizer Steve Rodriguez, New York City agreed to keep the larger banks for skateboarding.[3] This movement occurred after the city remodeled over half of the skating spot, destroying the little banks.[3] In 2020, after the New York City Department of Transportation removed all the bricks from the flat ground area, the skateboard community feared the big banks themselves will be next.[5][6] As of May 2020, a petition to save the Brooklyn Banks garnered over 40,000 signatures.[5][6][7]
Recreational use[]
Due to the terrain (smooth banked surfaces, with multiple objects such as benches, pillars, and stair rails), the area is popular with skateboarders and BMX riders for performing tricks.[8][9]
In 2010 New York City turned the space into storage for a restoration project on the bridge. This effectively closed the area skateboarders had used for over twenty years.[8] In 2016, a petition to re-open the banks was circulated with 21,718 signatures collected.[10]
2009
2009
2010
2010
2009
References[]
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "The Brooklyn Banks Are (Not) Back: RB Umali Interview + New Footage". TransWorld SKATEboarding. April 7, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- ^ "Skateboard Stories Ep 1 - The Brooklyn Banks (2018)". NYSkateboarding.com. January 26, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Porter, Justin (June 24, 2005). "Under a Bridge, and on Top of the World". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
- ^ Smith, Jonathan (November 11, 2009). "Bye Bye Brooklyn Banks". Vice. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "UPDATE: It Looks Like the Brooklyn Banks May Be Done ⋆ SKATE NEWSWIRE". SKATE NEWSWIRE. May 10, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Help Save The Brooklyn Banks". Transworld SKATEboarding. May 11, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ^ "Help Save The Brooklyn Banks". NYSkateboarding.com. May 9, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Branch, John (May 13, 2010). "To Fix Bridge, Skateboard Mecca May Be Lost for Years". New York Times. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
- ^ "The end of the Brooklyn Banks?". ESPN.com. November 3, 2009. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
- ^ "Teen BMX Rider Petitions New York to Reopen The Brooklyn Banks". fatbmx.com. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
External links[]
- Brooklyn Banks 98-99
- Kyle James skating the Brooklyn Banks in "Tales From the Hood."
- Mike Carroll Lost Skateboarding Clip #38 Brooklyn Banks
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Brooklyn Banks. |
Coordinates: 40°42′30″N 73°59′57″W / 40.70832°N 73.99922°W
- Skateboarding spots
- Civic Center, Manhattan
- Skateparks in New York City
- Brooklyn Bridge
- New York City geography stubs