Grant Park-Skate Park!

In May of this year, Chicago’s Plan Commission approved plans for our new skatepark at the south end of Grant Park. Plans were released last fall, showing curvy paved pathways and sculptural landscape features courtesy of the Chicago Park District and North Center urban design studio Altamanu. Plans for the new Skate Park in Grant Park artfully combines landscape design and features for skateboarding. (Chicago Park District) According to the Grant Park Advisory Council, it will be the country's first skate park built in a major city's "front yard" park. With an address of 300 East 11th Street, the new skate park will be the city’s fifth and will skaters fron the neighborhood’s local population of 60,000 students. The skate park and associated “passive areas” will occupy three acres, said Chicago Park District spokesman Peter Strazzabosco. Bob O’Neil of the Grant Park Conservancy told Chicago Architecture Blog: "We were able to get input and design from all kinds of skaters and BMXers so it was crowd-sourced before crowd sourcing was cool. We organized skaters back in 2006. The final design is innovative and allows it to be used by the entire public not just skaters and other ”wheelers”. It will be a place for all types of people and park users to gather." Onlookers will be able to view the skaters from observational platforms as well as from the 11th Street Bridge. Additionaly there will be an outdoor performance area which will allow families to picnic and watch outdoor movies. The skate park will be part of a 1.9-acre addition to the 325-acre downtown park’s southwest corner, between South Michigan Avenue and the Metra Electric District railroad tracks. Fred Scovell-Chicago Viewpoint