NYC Parks & Community Cut Ribbon on New Faber Skate Park

NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP yesterday joined Staten Island Deputy Borough President Ed Burke, former Borough President James Molinaro, Jarred Moller, President of the Arlington Civic Association Jean Crisson, and community members to cut the ribbon on the new Faber Skate Park in Staten Island.

"Our public spaces take many shapes and forms and I thank our Staten Island elected officials and this community for their commitment to helping shape this one," said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP. "I know this skate park, completed on time and on budget, will continue to provide enjoyment for this neighborhood for generations to come."

This new skate park's design was inspired by the surrounding neighborhood, the stone arches and terra cotta roof of the Faber Park Field House, and the arches of the Bayonne Bridge. The interconnected circle pattern helps to create a natural flow for skaters as they move through different challenges presented at each level.

This park was first requested by 14-year-old Jarred Moller, a member of the Arlington Civic Association, who spoke up a few years ago at a community meeting, on behalf of his friends. At the meeting, former Borough President James Molinaro dedicated $500 thousand to the project on the spot. The request was followed by a skate park petition with 150 signatures sent to Molinaro, who then dedicated an additional $1.2 million in funding to the park. A group of 50 children later worked with the skate park designer, Stanton's Action Sports Group, to determine which types of popular skate features to include and to make sure we got the design just right.

Funding for this $1.7 million project was generously allocated by the Borough President's Office. Consultant designers for this project were Stanton's Action Sports Group and HAKS.

Faber Park will be part of NYC Parks' upcoming Catalyst program, which aims to build excitement around parks and waterfronts, connect parks to community priorities, and sustain local leadership for strong park communities. The program will bring intensive support over the next four years to Faber Park.

Faber Park and Pool is located on what was once the north shore home of the Faber family. Their lead pencil manufacturing company was begun by Caspar Faber in Stein, Germany in 1761. A century later, his descendant Eberhard Faber (d.1879) came to New York and built the first lead pencil factory in the United States. Original plans to build a municipal lighting plant on the site were never pursued, and the area was placed under parks jurisdiction in 1928.

Architect Frederick H. Zurmuhlen Jr. supervised the construction of the seawall, recreation building, playground, wading and swimming pools. Contemporary reviews compared the design, which included eighteen different hues of natural-colored stone, to the architecture of Southern California. The design also drew praise for ensuring the good hygiene of bathers who had to pass through the showers before entering the pool. At the time of its completion, Faber Pool, at 140 feet by 75 feet, was the largest on Staten Island.

Faber Pool opened on July 15, 1932 to provide children with a safer alternative to swimming in the polluted waters of the Kill Van Kull. The park was more than doubled in size in 1941. In 1996 the park and pool benefited from a $1,500,000 capital restoration that upgraded classrooms, offices, and locker rooms as well as filling in the diving pool and repairing the exterior grounds.

Photo Credit: NYC Parks/Daniel Avila