Overgrown

Have you ever ridden the Brooklyn Banks? This may seem, to some, a silly question. After all, it's the most popular spot in the five boroughs, is it not? People come from all over the world to ride it, skate it, take pictures of it. The question should not be "have you ever ridden there," more like, "have you ridden there today"? Right?

Wrong.

Because the spot you know as the Brooklyn Banks, thats only half the story. This is the other half.

This seemingly abandoned park across the street used to be the epicenter of the Brooklyn Banks. When you said you were going to the Banks, THIS is what you meant. You'd only ride the big banks if the small banks were too crowded (which they often were). The big banks weren't nearly as much fun—no transition—and were often left to kids from the projects. Skaters rode the brick waves first, then BMXers adopted it, most notably with the 1989 Meet the Street contest (do yourself a favor and watch all five parts). Then came Animal and BASE Brooklyn, capturing the action through the '90s and '00s—Will Taubin stalling the sub wall with a cigarette dangling from his mouth, Tyrone Williams abubacing the same wall, and most famously, Grimaldo Duran launching over the fence onto the access ramp. I'm sure skateboarders have even more memories.

But when the banks were renovated following the 9/11 attacks, the small banks were converted into a park. And slowly but surely, they've been forgotten. By everyone, apparently, judging from the weeds. A tiny space tucked out of the way between two police-use roadways, the Brooklyn Bridge and a now-abandoned access ramp, the small banks are a horrible park for the same reason they were a great riding spot—no one ever finds it by accident. And why would anyone want to go there on purpose? The only people I've ever seen using the benches are the homeless. Even without the history, it was a questionable place to put a park.


But the history makes it that much worse. Steve Rodriguez of 5Boro skateboards, the Banks staunchest supporter (without whom we wouldn't be riding ANYTHING down there, mind you), has spoken of replicating the small banks in a new skatepark in another borough. Which is fine, but seems silly when the real thing is still sitting there, undamaged and sleeping.


So admit failure, New York. Do the right thing. Take up the benches, and put them somewhere where they'll actually be used. Re-brick the soil, and return the small banks to their former glory. Let another generation of skaters and BMXers enjoy what used to be one of the best riding spots in the world. Make the Banks whole again.

(Joey wrote about this first over on Native, by the way.)



Dave Voelker 360ed in off this wall in 1989.