Skateable Art Park
Skateable Art Park
Award of Excellence
2023 APA Florida Project Awards - Implementation
About this project
The Capital Cascades Trail Skateable Art Park is a prime example of collaborative planning yielding significant community benefits. This project was originally born from local skateboarding community conversations. Skaters were skating on the local Korean War Memorial because they lacked a space to skate in Tallahassee’s urban core. Once Blueprint staff learned of this challenge, they were determined to find a solution. Through its development, the Skateable Art Park was faced with numerous logistical challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic. However, through effective planning, the project team overcame each obstacle to provide the community and skateboarders from across the globe with a world-class "street-course" skate park and art installation. The skate park features a 300-foot linear street course, ledges, rails, and a 10-foot-tall skateable snake sculpture modeled after a “Rattler,” the mascot of nearby Florida A&M University. The design provides an optimal experience for users and a visually stimulating space for spectators, complimenting the sense of place and artistic nature of the nearby Railroad Square Art District. The Skateable Art Park has become a public art monument that is a source of pride for the entire community. Today, the park is a place for young and old to recreate and enjoy the outdoors.
The Skateable Art Park is a subset of a larger capital project, Segment 3 of the Capital Cascades Trail, which represents a $68 million infrastructure investment along a 1.5-mile urban corridor in Southside Tallahassee. This project enclosed a dangerous, ugly, open drainage ditch that severed the local community and replaced it with a beautiful trail, and linear park-like amenities. The Skateable Art Park started construction in November 2021 and was completed in June 2022. Efficiencies achieved during construction allowed this project to come in under the approved budget. During development, challenges necessitated a collaborative approach involving many stakeholders. The project team skillfully wove the intricacies of complying with the National Electrical Safety Code for the adjacent electric transmission lines, building on top of box culverts, and providing skateboarders in Tallahassee and beyond a long-lasting competition-grade amenity.
The Blueprint Intergovernmental Agency built the Skateable Art Park and the City of Tallahassee will operate and maintain the project, moving forward. Blueprint was committed to authenticity as part of the development process, as the project team sought to develop a skate park by skateboarders and for skateboarders. From choosing a design-build team that is a leading expert in skate park construction (Team Pain) to involving the local skateboarding community at every step of the way (including during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic via digital engagement), the project team ensured that this project stayed true to its underlying goals.
Since opening in 2022, the amenity has attracted Tallahassee residents as well as skateboarders from all over the world. Numerous community events, including “Boards for Bros,” which provided boards to local youths, continue to be hosted at the Park. The Skateable Art Park will be a long-lasting amenity and will stand as a source of pride and distinction for the Tallahassee community.