THE BROOKLYN BANKS — Skateable Again
The Brooklyn Banks is the most iconic skate spot in New York City. Nestled underneath the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Banks had been a staple of the city’s skate scene since the ‘80s. In 2009, the last remaining skateable portion was shut down. The space was needed for equipment storage during bridge renovations which were scheduled to end in 2014.
Recently, the equipment was finally moved. And skaters being skaters, the fence was soon cut and pictures began popping up on Instagram. RB Umali, Spencer Fujimoto, Ron Deily, and Akira Mowatt headed down to check it out for themselves and captured some of the first footage from the Banks to see the light of day in nearly 10 years.
Unfortunately, the fun was short-lived as the police kicked them out. It’s currently not legal to skate there despite the fact that it was made a public skatepark prior to the bridge renovations.
If you’d like to see this iconic spot returned to its former glory, you should write a letter to the NY Parks Department requesting that the Banks be reopened to skateboarders.
