Penn Valley skatepark
Encyclopedia
Penn Valley Skatepark
Skatepark
A skatepark is a purpose-built recreational environment made for skateboarding, BMX, aggressive inline skating and scooters. A skatepark may contain half-pipes, quarter pipes, spine transfers, handrails, funboxes, vert ramps, pyramids, banked ramps, full pipes, pools, bowls, snake runs stairsets,...
is one of the more recent additions to the park, and is also known as Kansas City Skate Plaza
Plaza
Plaza is a Spanish word related to "field" which describes an open urban public space, such as a city square. All through Spanish America, the plaza mayor of each center of administration held three closely related institutions: the cathedral, the cabildo or administrative center, which might be...
because of the similar appearance of a "plaza
Plaza
Plaza is a Spanish word related to "field" which describes an open urban public space, such as a city square. All through Spanish America, the plaza mayor of each center of administration held three closely related institutions: the cathedral, the cabildo or administrative center, which might be...
-type" Skatepark. Officially opened in late Fall of 2005, Escapist Skateboarding has hosted at least five separate skateboard demonstrations, including Zero Skateboards
Zero Skateboards
Zero Skateboards is a skateboard company located in Carlsbad, California. It is part of the Black Box Distribution family. Zero decks are manufactured in Tijuana, Mexico, by Edieth and Osuna, which is owned by Jamie Thomas...
, Circa Shoes, and Toy Machine.
Description
The park is not fully "completed", plans were to have a larger park, taking over the complete infenced area, however, the city underestimated the costs, and the $380,000 budget was soon drained. The original plans included lights for skateboarding after the sun went down, these too were never installed. The park is still functional despite not being 100% complete, and also is one of the most sought after Skateparks in MissouriMissouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
. Locals can be seen at Penn Valley
Penn Valley Park
Penn Valley Park is an urban park overlooking Downtown Kansas City Kansas City, Missouri.The park was developed in 1904 on land through which the Santa Fe Trail had passed. It contains two famous landmarks: The Scout and the United States' official World War I museum with its Liberty Memorial...
Skatepark on a daily basis, mainly because of the many different aspects of the park itself. Also the park is so close to the Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
border that it makes it a quick drive from both sides of the border.
A series of three smaller banks leading to one large bank make up the "Street Course", or Plaza, on the east side of the park. The southern portion of the park includes a set of stairs, and a foot-tall square "handrail". This is the part of the skatepark that is considered unfinished, and grass is now growing where the original park was intended to continue. On the west side of the park can be found the most remarkable feature of the park, the Bowl. The Bowl is 6 foot-deep, that waterfalls to a 9 foot-deeper end. The bowl is very well constructed, with real concrete pool coping and tile on one side. This feature attracts many of the "old-school" skateboarders from the bowl skateboarding eras of the 1970s and 80s, they bring with them a unique style that is rare in today's skateboarding generation.
Location
The skatepark itself shares a group of tennis courts, and basketball courtBasketball court
In basketball, the basketball court is the playing surface, consisting of a rectangular floor with tiles at either end. In professional or organized basketball, especially when played indoors, it is usually made out of a wood, often maple, and highly polished...
. It overlooks Downtown Kansas City
Downtown Kansas City
Downtown Kansas City is the central business district of Kansas City, Missouri and the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. It is located between the Missouri River in the north, to 31st Street in the south; and from the Kansas–Missouri state line east to Troost Avenue as defined by officials of the...
with a spectacular view. The park practically shares a parking-lot with One-Park Place
Architecture in Kansas City
The architecture of Kansas City, Missouri and the metro area includes major works by many of the world's most distinguished architects and firms, including McKim, Mead and White; Jarvis Hunt; Wight and Wight; Graham, Anderson, Probst and White; Hoit, Price & Barnes; Frank Lloyd Wright; the Office...
, a very recognizable building in the Kansas City Skyline. Also the park is right down the road from Penn Tower. The Park rests atop the same grass hill as the Kansas City Scout Statue
Kansas City Scout (statue)
The Scout is a famous statue in Kansas City, Missouri. It is more than 10 feet tall, and depicts a Sioux Indian on a horseback pointing North returning from a hunting trip. The Scout was conceived in 1915 by Cyrus E. Dallin for the Panama Pacific Exposition in San Francisco, where it won a gold...
, and has a good close up view of not only Liberty Memorial
Liberty Memorial
The Liberty Memorial, located in Kansas City, Missouri, USA, is a memorial to the fallen soldiers of World War I and houses the The National World War I Museum, as designated by the United States Congress in 2004.. Groundbreaking commenced November 1, 1921, and the city held a site dedication...
, but also of the recently constructed new Federal
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
Building.