In 2011, as part of a larger renovation project at Orizaba Park, Spohn Ranch collaborated with the City of Long Beach and a local landscape architecture firm to design and construct a small skate spot.
Both the budget and design canvas presented to Spohn Ranch were small, but we made the most of the space and local skateboarders were eternally grateful for another safe place they could call home. While the park was extremely successful, it was clear from the beginning that more space and a few more features would really take the park to the next level.
In 2013, local skateboarding advocates from ASK Long Beach rallied community support for expansion of the skateable terrain. The driving force behind nearly a dozen Long Beach skatepark projects, these guys knew what they were doing, so it was no surprise when that community activism quickly translated into municipal dollars being allocated toward the project.
We consulted with local skateboarders on the layout of new terrain and when the City gave the green light in February of 2014, our veteran field crew knocked out construction in a mere 10 days. The work included additional deck area and a new horseshoe-style bank that wrapped around the east end of the park – connecting the existing hipped banks. The center of the new bank was also anchored with a mellow ledge for bank-to-ledge tricks.
We stopped by the park last week for a lunchtime session and as predicted, the added elements and open space make the park that much more fun!
