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]

Seen in 2009

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]

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References
  1. "The Brooklyn Banks Are (Not) Back: RB Umali Interview + New Footage". TransWorld SKATEboarding. April 7, 2017. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  2. "Skateboard Stories Ep 1 - The Brooklyn Banks (2018)". NYSkateboarding.com. January 26, 2018. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  3. 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.
  4. Smith, Jonathan (November 11, 2009). "Bye Bye Brooklyn Banks". Vice. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  5. "UPDATE: It Looks Like the Brooklyn Banks May Be Done ⋆ SKATE NEWSWIRE". SKATE NEWSWIRE. May 10, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  6. "Help Save The Brooklyn Banks". Transworld SKATEboarding. May 11, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  7. "Help Save The Brooklyn Banks". NYSkateboarding.com. May 9, 2020. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
  8. Branch, John (May 13, 2010). "To Fix Bridge, Skateboard Mecca May Be Lost for Years". New York Times. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  9. "The end of the Brooklyn Banks?". ESPN.com. November 3, 2009. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  10. "Teen BMX Rider Petitions New York to Reopen The Brooklyn Banks". fatbmx.com. Retrieved February 14, 2020.


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