New York City officially reopened a revitalized section of “The Arches” on Thursday, the public space beneath the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge. This reopening marks the return of the legendary Brooklyn Banks skateboarding site.
Once hailed as the “mecca of New York skateboarding,” the Brooklyn Banks attracted skaters worldwide until its closure in 2010 for bridge repairs. After more than a decade, the skate spot has been restored through a partnership between Gotham Park and The Skatepark Project, the nonprofit founded by skateboarding legend Tony Hawk, City Hall announced.
Benjamin Anderson Bashein, CEO of The Skatepark Project, called the reopening “a monumental day for skaters and for everyone who rips,” during the ribbon-cutting ceremony. He described the site as a global skateboarding icon and said its return is “absolutely profound.”
The two-acre plaza near City Hall and Chinatown is the largest section of “The Arches” to reopen so far. Previously used as a contractor staging area for over ten years, the space now features new seating, landscaping, and improved access beneath the vaulted archways of the Brooklyn Bridge that give the location its unique character.
For New York’s skateboarding community, the reopening represents the rebirth of a cultural landmark. Tony Hawk told The New York Times in 2023 that he felt “very lucky” to help revitalize this “iconic, legendary spot” in skateboarding.
City Hall emphasized that the renovation respects the Brooklyn Banks’ original legacy while updating the space to meet modern safety and design standards.
At the ceremony, Mayor Eric Adams announced a $50 million investment in “The Arches” as part of the Fiscal Year 2026 Executive Budget. The funds will enhance public amenities such as lighting, landscaping, and seating. This investment is part of Adams’ “We Outside Summer” initiative, which aims to bring programming and events to parks and public spaces throughout the city’s five boroughs.
The broader project beneath the bridge also includes areas for basketball, pickleball, shuffleboard, and quiet seating. More than three acres of space under the bridge have now been reopened to the public.
Mayor Adams described the area as having been “dormant and derelict” for too long before the phased reopening began in 2023. He said Thursday’s reopening returns “two more acres of public space to the local Chinatown community.”
“After 15 years of restoration beneath the Brooklyn Bridge, honoring the history of the public space once known as the mecca of New York skateboarding, we’re finally making it happen,” Adams added.