California Skateparks introduces All Access Skateparks concept with new Watts Skate Park.
2/24/25 (Los Angeles, CA) – Pro skate stars and adaptive athletes performed side-by-side on Saturday at the grand opening of the highly anticipated Watts Skate Park in south Los Angeles. Over fifteen years in the making, the 13,500-square-foot street plaza-style park faced several delays and other challenges, but local skateboarders and their supporters never conceded defeat. On Saturday, they celebrated victory.
“This is the skatepark that nearly didn’t happen, but was truly needed,” said Miki Vuckovich, Director Of Strategic Initiatives for California Skateparks, which designed and built the park. “Everyone involved knew how important this project was to the skaters and their families, so we stuck with it and overcame every challenge to ensure it got done.”
The challenges included protests from absentee property owners and the state government imposing an embargo on the original site, but the skatepark plan was overwhelmingly supported by Watts residents. After identifying a suitable alternative site beside Imperial Highway in 2022, the project finally began to gain momentum.
The Watts Skate Plaza was made possible with funding and support from LA Recreation And Parks, LA Parks Foundation, The Skatepark Project, and the Annenberg Foundation. From its inception in 2010, the project also had the support of California Skateparks. The most renowned designer and builder of skateparks, the company donated several early designs that presented a bold vision for Watts—a world-class skate plaza with the most modern features.
“It was clear to us from the beginning what a skatepark could do for this community,” said California Skateparks President and CEO Joe Ciaglia. “We created the original designs to help people see what was possible, but the final version truly reflects our 25 years of creating elite-level skateparks.”
When the project was relocated to its current site, California Skateparks’ Lead Landscape Architect Zach Wormhoudt started from scratch to maximize the features and flow of the new space. The opportunity also allowed him to implement the company’s new All Access Skatepark design approach. Working with several of the world’s top adaptive athletes, the California Skateparks team studied their use of skateparks, documenting how they ride and learning what improvements they’d like to see. The result is a skate plaza that seamlessly blends traditional and adaptive-friendly features together, creating an integrated environment where all skaters can enjoy the same space.
“The Watts Skatepark may not be the biggest skatepark in the world, but it is definitely one of the most important,” said designer Wormhoudt. “Developing a state-of-the-art adaptive-friendly skatepark in the context of the cultural, political, and economic history of Watts is a testament to perseverance and dedication. I can speak for the entire California Skateparks team in saying that it is an honor to be a part of the Watts Skate Park project, knowing how many people will benefit from it.”
On Saturday, adaptive skaters Oscar Loreto, Jr., Andy Hernandez, and Edward Jeffries, plus WCMX wheelchair skaters Damian Munoz and Tracie Garacochea joined skate legends Kevin “Spanky” Long, Cordano Russell, Dashawn Jordan, Sean Malto, and others to inaugurate the Watts Skate Park with a special session. They rolled down the park’s three levels, grinding and sliding alongside pros and local skaters on rails and ledges that included ramped sections to help them to the top. While the pros could bypass the ramped sections, everyone could use these adaptive-friendly features in their own way.
As the city’s response to the recent fires demonstrated, LA is strong. And after waiting so long and working so hard to see their dream of a skatepark come true, the Watts skate community is stronger, too. They’re stronger because they have a place to gather and grow, and stronger because they will connect with visitors who travel from around the world to see and experience the new skatepark whose history is a testament to the resilience of the community it represents.
More information about the Watts Skate Plaza and the 29 other skateparks in Los Angeles can be found at www.laparks.org/skateparks.
About California Skateparks: California Skateparks is the world’s most recognized designer and builder of skateparks, private training facilities, and elite competition courses. As a lifestyle sport, skateboarding is practiced by individuals of all backgrounds who live and breathe it. The California Skateparks team is no different. We offer an extremely knowledgeable and talented staff that includes professional skateboarders, landscape architects, general contractors, civil and structural engineering experts, and master builders. Our approach focuses on creative design, sound planning, systematic project costing, and solid construction methodology, with the needs and desires of our clients and their communities as our main priority. Because a skatepark isn’t just used by local skaters, adaptive athletes, and their friends, it’s where they live their lives. For more information about our work and history, visit www.californiaskateparks.com.
