Greenville’s skate park has been a long time coming, with many passionate citizens fighting for it for decades. Before we can look forward, let’s rewind to 20+ years ago and look at Greenville’s skate culture and how we got here.
2003 | After Poe Mill burned down, local skaters began using the vacant lot as a makeshift skate park.
2009 | Clemson Architecture students partnered with the Greenville County Redevelopment Authority (GCRA) to design a potential skate park for the Poe Mill site.
2010 | The GCRA officially purchased the land, laying the groundwork for future development.
2012 | No Name Skate Park closed due to financial difficulties.
2014 | Skate Park of Greenville (aka S.P.O.G.) followed suit.
2015 | The Children’s Museum of the Upstate hosted an Innoskate event in partnership with the Smithsonian, bringing pro skaters and a pop-up skate park to downtown. The event drew attention from major skate organizations, including Street League and the Tony Hawk Foundation.
2016 | Talks about a permanent skate park at Poe Mill gained traction, but environmental issues with the site made it too expensive.
2021 | GCRA sold the 11-acre site to developers, which will ultimately end the makeshift skate park. See how a local photographer dedicated years to preserving its history.
The city shared these inspo pics for the early planning stages. | Photos via the City of Greenville
The city shared these inspo pics for the early planning stages. | Photos via the City of Greenville
The city shared these inspo pics for the early planning stages. | Photos via the City of Greenville
The city shared these inspo pics for the early planning stages. | Photos via the City of Greenville
That brings us to today, where the City of Greenville is actively planning a wheelsports park by the Greenville Downtown airport. The 10-acre site along the Swamp Rabbit Trail will feature a concrete skate park, an asphalt pumptrack, and a paved bicycle playground.
Even if you aren’t a skater or a bicyclist, chances are you know someone (like a kid or teen) who is. Tap your kids, get them involved in the civic process, and weigh in on the design process for this multi-million dollar “best-in-class” park coming to our city:
- Explore the project timeline
- Fill out the city’s survey — it’s designed for citizens of any age to provide input
- Attend the public meeting on Monday, July 28 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Greenville Downtown Airport hangar
