Photo Flash: NYC Parks and NikeSB Celebrate New McCarren Skatepark

NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP, yesterday joined NikeSB for a celebratory block party to officially open the newly designed McCarren Skatepark. Designed and constructed by California Skateparks with insight from local and professional skateboarders, the space was completed just in time for Go Skateboarding Day, an official annual holiday conceived by the International Association of Skateboard Companies to promote skateboarding. Scroll down for photos!

The $315,000 state of the art skatepark was funded by NikeSB, and updates the space while staying in the original footprint. The newly revamped McCarren Skatepark brings quarterpipes, ledges, hips and rails. Last renovated in 2009, the skatepark has been a beloved amenity amidst the bustling activity of McCarren Park.

"The revamped McCarren skatepark is an exciting new addition to this magnificent, busy park, and with input from local and professional skateboarders, it offers a more personalized skating experience," said NYC Parks Commissioner Mitchell J. Silver, FAICP. "Northern Brooklyn locals, residents from across New York City, and visitors will be able to enjoy the new features designed and built by California Skateparks. Thanks to NikeSB for funding the facelift of such a great community amenity, and thanks to all our skateboarders for their dedication and contributions to its improvement."

McCarren Park has been providing endless recreation opportunities for people in the Williamsburg and Greenpoint areas of Brooklyn for more than 100 years. The nearly 36-acre park is a gathering place for the community, with space for kickball, soccer, bocce, handball, basketball, football and tennis, along with running tracks, walking paths and playgrounds for children.

McCarren Park was named after Patrick Henry McCarren, a Cambridge, Massachusetts native who went to school in Williamsburg. After working as a cooper along the waterfronts, McCarren turned his attention to politics, soon rising through the Brooklyn Democratic Party to win election to the State Assembly in 1881 and the State Senate in 1889. Following McCarren's death in 1909, the site previously known as Greenpoint Park, was renamed after him.

Photo Credit: Malcolm Pinckney/NYC Parks