By 2002, the wooden surfaces in Evanston’s previous skate park — located in the old Robert Crown Community Center — had degraded, leading to the park’s closure.
Evanston skaters began practicing their moves and tricks elsewhere: on the street, at skate parks in neighboring towns and even on Northwestern’s campus.
Now, they finally have a dedicated space. After almost three years of planning, Evanston’s new skate park at Twiggs Park opened Dec. 23. The park combines features suitable for vertical tricks — like quarter pipes and a bowl — with rails and ledges common in street skateboarding.
Eric Pitt, co-founder of Evanston Skates, said his organization advocated for a park accessible to riders of different ability levels and non-motorized vehicles including skateboards, BMX bikes and roller skates.
“One goal was to make sure there was enough variety in the park — that beginners have their space, advanced skaters have their space, but then we can all flow in and out of each other’s zones so it’s not segregated and there’s not a useless part of the park,” Pitt said.
After sending a public survey to Evanston residents and holding a series of meetings throughout spring 2021, the city decided against building a temporary skate park in favor of focusing on a permanent facility at Twiggs Park.
Jodi Mariano, principal urban designer at Teska Associates, Inc., said she met with community members of different sports and age groups while her firm finalized the park’s design. The city approved a construction contract with Hacienda Landscaping last March, and construction began that July.
Mariano’s firm envisioned a space that recognizes the bonds between Evanston skaters.
“Here in Evanston, the skateboard community is really connected, and they’re so focused on helping one another out,” Mariano said. “In addition to the skatable surfaces, there was a lot of design effort put into creating spaces where people could watch one another, come together and learn from one another.”
The park’s design includes rain gardens and plants that absorb water, since fluids cannot pass through the concrete used for the skate park. The city will add some of these plants in the spring alongside other minor changes.
The skate park has already attracted riders of different sports and ages. Pitt said he hopes to explore more of the park’s features, especially when the temperature increases during the spring and summer.
Evanston resident Patrick Hageman, a BMX rider, said he does not find the park especially challenging given his experience. He said he will continue bringing his two children there.
“I can honestly say they’ve never explored a park so comfortably as they have this new park in Evanston,” Hageman said. “It’s been so much fun to just watch them take off and explore and hit every single corner of the park and feel like they’re at home.”
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Twitter: @edwardsimoncruz
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