At Jenkem Magazine's skate block party in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Stacie Joy

Skateboarding and culture magazine Jenkem took over the Tompkins Square Park multipurpose courts yesterday afternoon with a pop-up skate jam/block party featuring new obstacles, music and plenty of spectators. 

The free event drew a steady crowd of skaters and onlookers ... some there to land tricks, others simply to hang out on a summer afternoon. 

Here are a few scenes from the session...

... and now the Hell Ride section...

Thursday's parting shot

An extension in the works for Hell Ride on the multipurpose courts/TF in Tompkins Square Park...

Previously on EV Grieve: 

• Taking on Hell Ride

Taking on Hell Ride

Photos by Stacie Joy 

Like so many things in Tompkins Square Park, it simply appeared. 

Sometime in late spring, someone hauled in a homemade quarter pipe, painted it "Hell Ride," and left it for anyone willing to take it on. 

Since then, the ramp has become a gathering spot — and a test of skill — for skaters using the multipurpose courts. 

I recently spent some time with the skaters tackling Hell Ride...

For more skateboarding action... on Saturday, Jenkem Magazine is hosting a block party here during the afternoon...

 

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A new edge in Tompkins Square Park

Photos Saturday by Stacie Joy 

Skateboarders in Tompkins Square Park got a pleasant surprise Saturday morning. 

Early that day, a crew delivered a 15-inch-high granite ledge to the multipurpose courts/TF. (The ledge sits outside the main field and walking lanes, so it won’t need to be moved for field hockey leagues.) 

As Quartersnacks first noted, this arrival was a collaboration among the Parks Department, Nike SB, The Skatepark Project and California Skateparks.

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Given that this thing weighs a few thousand pounds, it will likely stick around the TF for awhile. (Quartersnacks deemed a sliver of triangular granite, nicknamed The Tombstone, as the most popular TF obstacle of the 2010s.) 

On Saturday morning, we spotted skaters lining up to test out the ledge … and start wearing down the edges.

As of yesterday, the Ledge remained the main draw here... and it was already showing a little wear...

Petition seeks to rename Tompkins Square Park skate area for Harold Hunter

There's an effort underway to rename the skate area at Tompkins Square Park in honor of the late Harold Hunter. 

The Skatepark Project, which Tony Hawk founded, and the Harold Hunter Foundation have launched a petition to rename the multi-use/skate section of the park Harold Hunter Park. 

Hunter — a charismatic and influential skateboarder and actor — was born and raised at Campos Plaza on 13th Street. He died in 2006 at age 31. 

Tompkins Square Park was one of Hunter's favorite places to skate, and in the 1990s, he helped shape it into a creative hub where skaters, artists, and musicians crossed paths. That era helped cement the park's global reputation as a destination for skate culture. 

The proposal was scheduled to be heard tomorrow by Community Board 3's Parks, Recreation, Waterfront & Resiliency Committee, but the item was withdrawn and is expected to return at a later date. 

You can read more and view the petition here.

 

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Previously on EV Grieve: 

• At the Harold Hunter Skate Jam in Tompkins Square Park

Endless summer in Tompkins Square Park on the brink of fall

Photos yesterday by Stacie Joy 

It's skating as usual on the recenly painted multipurpose courts in Tompkins Square Park ... now with a discarded couch...

As the Times noted: "It's still summer today, but fall arrives tomorrow. Take a minute to pause on the threshold."

Saturday's opening shot

Someone welcomed the freshly painted multipurpose courts/TF last night in Tompkins Square Park ... previously.

The multipurpose courts/TF reopen in Tompkins Square Park in living color

Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy 

The multipurpose courts/TF reopened yesterday along 10th Street and Avenue A after a 10-plus-day closure so workers could repaint the surface. (More background is available here and here.) 

The Parks Department added color to the asphalt, including a walking track on the perimeter and markings for the basketball hoops at the eastern end. And the majority of the asphalt is painted green (no markings for kickball, though!).

The skaters also returned to this seminal, decades-long skate spot, and the various ramps and rails that were here previously are also back.

And the mood? "Elevated chill."

Inside the paint: A look at the color-coded multipurpose courts in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Stacie Joy (top one via EVG) 

Updated 6 p.m. Still closed.

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Workers were racing to wrap up painting the multipurpose courts/TF in Tompkins Square Park last evening. 

One of the workers said they thought they'd be ready to unveil today, though it could have to wait until tomorrow. 

This space along Avenue A and 10th Street has been closed for repainting since Aug. 26. After the resurfacing last fall, the Parks Department added color to the asphalt, including a walking track on the perimeter and markings for the basketball hoops...

As previously noted, we'll see how everyone co-exists in this new configuration. The court has been a skating hotspot for decades.

A repainted multipurpose court comes into view in Tompkins Square Park

Photos by Stacie Joy 

The multi-purpose courts/TF will reopen on Tuesday... after workers complete repainting the surface of the space along Avenue A and 10th Street. 

The crew will apparently be working on Labor Day to get this done.

 Here's how it's looking now...

The walking track around the perimeter seems to be taking shape. (Does anyone with an aerial view of the courts along 10th Street have any photos to share?)

The asphalt was just getting broken in again after renovations from Oct. 16 to Dec. 1. In addition to new asphalt, Parks added benches, fountains and three basketball backstops. 

We'll see how everyone co-exists in this new configuration. The court has been a skating hotspot for decades. 

So far, "suburban" is the word we're hearing about the new look.

As Quartersnacks noted in June 2023 about the repainted surface: "It will be a shock to the system in terms of the park's Feng Shui, but skateboarders have adjusted to way worse changes."