At the tender age of 15, Eric Brown mustered the courage to speak to the Leesburg Town Council about his desire for a public skatepark. After years of fundraising and community advocacy, a wooden skatepark was built. That skatepark served its purpose for several years, but eventually became outdated and required replacement with a modern concrete facility.
In 2017, Spohn Ranch and the Town of Leesburg proudly introduced the brand new Eric Brown Skatepark, located at Catoctin Park in Leesburg, Virginia. The skatepark is named in honor of Brown who spent years fighting so that all two and four wheeled citizens could have a safe place enjoy.
The skatepark is now officially open and located at 136 Catoctin Cir SE, Leesburg, VA 20175. Directly next to Loudoun County Volunteer Rescue Squad.
Spohn Ranch designed the space with all of the key skatepark elements one would need, including a beautiful 5’ to 7’ bowl complete with spine, waterfall and corner extension. Not to be outmatched, the street course boasts of a plethora of rails, ledges, banked planters and of course, a vert wall. The forecast indicates decades of enjoyment for generations of Leesburg residents and visitors from surrounding communities.
Our design/build process was no skate in the park, however. The site was previously a wastewater treatment plant, requiring significant soil remediation. Large quantities of urban waste were environmentally contained, then removed and replaced with clean structural fill.
From there, we executed earthwork, drainage, steel fabrication and concrete/shotcrete with Spohn Ranch’s unmistakable attention-to-detail.
See more Leesburg design illustrations and construction photos.
The skatepark’s official grand opening was held on May 27, 2017. Naturally, it was a huge success as crowds swarmed the perimeter to watch skateboarders enjoy the skatepark. A few days after the opening, we sent local DC photographer James Park and Stereo Skateboards’ own Yoshi Tanenbaum to visit the park and snap some flicks. Their feedback was what exactly what we expected. Per Yoshi and James, “The new Leesburg Skatepark is absolutely incredible!”
We are honored to have been involved in this project and look forward to future Virginia skatepark projects.
Want to see the building of Leesburg Skatepark? Check out this link or click on the photo below:
