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| Go Skateboarding Day 2013 at Parisite (photo by other) |
Parisite Skatepark is New Orleans' first public skatepark, operated by the nonprofit Transitional Spaces with support from the New Orleans Recreation Department. It is located below I-610 at the intersection of Paris St and Pleasure Ave, adjacent to the St Bernard Recreation Center. Transitional Spaces has coordinated development of the park through fundraising, volunteer organization, and strategic partnerships to create a public park with limited capital access.
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| RIP Peach Orchard (photo by other) |
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| one of the drawings for retroactive city approval |
In April 2013, while threats of demolition hung in the air, I coordinated engineer's approval for the existing skater-built structures, and we made alterations for code compliance (Phase 1). This coincided with government conversations to place ramps from the Red Bull Mississippi Grind at Parisite (Phase 2), through which the New Orleans Recreation Department Commission (NORDC) officially recognized the skate park and rezoned the area for skate park recreation.
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| master-planning with skaters |
Joining up with Transitional Spaces - the skater-led nonprofit created to further skatepark development in New Orleans - I was involved with several design charettes to develop a master plan and several further detailed plans for Parisite, which set the placement of the Mississippi Grind and determined other priorities for the skatepark. These included grilling/picnic areas, outdoor classroom, stormwater management, planted areas, various skatable terrains for users of different skill levels. All elements are geared to further Parisite Skatepark as an enjoyable park space for all, while built elements are also skateable and contribute to the flow of the park.
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| renderings of Parisite Phase 3, by Harmon/DeCotiis Studio at Tulane University |
In 2013, Transitional Spaces received grants from the Tony Hawk Foundation and the Brees Dream Foundation to continue our work, as well as entering into a partnership with Tulane City Center to refine and expand upon our vision for the area. Through Tulane City Center, Transitional Spaces acted as design consultants and provided construction details (below) while architecture students developed formal plans from TS' masterplanning sessions.
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| detailing seating/stage for skateability |
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| construction documents for skater-designed elements |
After construction documents were prepared, I worked alongside the Tulane professors and New Orleans Capital Projects Administration to navigate the city, state, and federal approvals processes (due to Parisite's location below I-610). We received approvals for Phases 2 and 3 in May 2014, with construction set for late summer.
Transitional Spaces is currently pursuing funding for the final phase of Parisite, as well as working to develop quality skateable parks throughout New Orleans.
The Peach Orchard was begun by Joey O'Mahoney, Ally Bruser, and Mark Steuer, who remain heavily involved with Parisite and founded Transitional Spaces. Skylar Fein has been incredibly helpful all along.
Check us out: Parisitediy.org, facebook, Peach Orchard blog
