The Crooked River Skatepark started life as the Northcoast Harbor Skatepark by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. In April 2004, it was opened as a temporary skatepark created after the 2003 Gravity Games brought so much attention to the downtown area. The ramps were steel pre-fabricated ramps purchased at a discount from a vendor at the Gravity Games. This was the first time Cleveland had a public skatepark and was removed in 2009 once the ramps had outlived their usefulness.
The Crooked River Skatepark has officially been open since Friday November 4th, 2014, and when the weather rises above freezing the park is getting shredded. If anything, the weather made the park more interesting to skate, providing more obstacles like melted puddles and sometimes piles of snow turning into hurdles that guide you while pumping through the bowl. Dale and Paul were sessioning the bowl during the ribbon cutting and both skaters and non-skaters alike were able to enjoy watching them rip.
The Columbus Bridge is open after 19 long months of construction. The reopening of the bridge will make the skatepark easier to access by taking Columbus Road directly to the park!
Photo Courtesy of Cleveland.com
In March 2013, Grindline began exploratory digging on the site which resulted in the discovery of large bulkhead anchors throughout the site. These anchors help hold up the bulkhead along the waterfront and cannot be removed or built around. The City began looking for another location within the Rivergate Park area and a public meeting was held on July 24th, 2013 to present the options. The public overwhelming supported the new location in order to maintain the current conceptual design.
Rivergate Park
1785 Merwin Ave
Cleveland, OH 44113
Rivergate Park:
7am - 11pm
Crooked River Skatepark:
Open until sundown.
"There are other skate parks in the area, but there's nothing like this. Skateboarding isn't just for kids – you have people in their 20s, 30s, 40s doing it, and a good park will draw people from all over."
Joel Wimbiscus|LAND Studio