When Caden Slovacek moved to Chicago from Colorado in 2021, he immediately looked for a skate park to keep up with his longtime hobby — and find community.
When he went to Logan Boulevard Skate Park in Logan Square, Slovacek, 21, was surprised by what he saw.
Parts of the wooden ramps were rotting. The metal lips of the ramps where skaters would perform grinds and other tricks were pulled dangerously out of place.
And then there was the pigeon poop all over the park.
“The whole goal when you go to Logan — and falling is a part of skateboarding — is to never fall,” said Logan Laurie, founder of Logan Square Skate, a group of local skaters and community organizers trying to renovate the park. These days, if you skate there, “you have to throw out your clothes,” Laurie said.
Yet despite its many flaws, the community loves the park. Logan Square Skate hopes to transform the park near Western Avenue and Logan Boulevard into a place where anyone — whether they’re little kids on scooters, novices, skilled tricksters or youths with nowhere else to go — can connect over their shared passion. Fans of the park say a full renovation is long overdue.
The organization has raised $710,000 toward renovation efforts, well short of the estimated $2 million required to rehabilitate the park. They hope the Chicago Park District will contribute, but a spokesperson told the Chicago Sun-Times, “No park district funds have been committed to the project at this time.”
Refuge left to rot
The skate park is one of six in Chicago. It opened to the public in 2009 and was constructed using about $600,000 in fees the city collects from residential projects. The park’s location under the Kennedy Expressway meant it could stay open year-round — a boon for skaters in the community — but that also introduced a complication. While the park district uses the space, the park falls under the Illinois Department of Transportation’s jurisdiction. That means any changes in park design must get IDOT approval.
The park district outfitted the park with what Laurie called “modular features,” or metal-framed ramps and jumps covered in wood veneer. According to Michele Lemons, a park district spokesperson, the modular equipment was used so it could be moved when IDOT needs to do maintenance work under the highway.
Fifteen years later, that modular equipment remains.
Meanwhile, the overpass is already a prime location for pigeons to roost. Their waste is a major concern, fans of the park said.
“It is like somebody has put frosting on the park. It’s horrific,” said Tony Porfirio, president of Haas Park Advisory Council, which acts as a conduit between the park district and the community.
Pigeon-deterrent equipment was installed in 2022, but the park district says it’s not effective. That year, Lemons said, the park district also completed repairs and upgrades to the park.
“The Chicago Park District continues to work closely with the skate park advocates on their interest in a reconstruction of the skate park,” Lemons said in an email. “Any renovations to the skate park are dependent on the availability of funds, which have not yet been identified at this time.”
Christopher Brichetto, 31, said he and his friends have frequently made calls to the park district about the danger posed to skaters.
In May 2017, Brichetto was practicing a trick he’d done countless times before. He landed the trick facing backward, and as he skated off the ramp, his wheel fell into a hole another skater made earlier that day in the rotting wood. His foot slipped off the board, and his “ankle just snapped.”
Brichetto needed surgery. And while the surgery was successful, he said, his skating hasn’t been the same, and he still has trouble walking.
The park is still important to him. Brichetto was homeless at the time of his accident and was staying in the Logan Square area. Skating at the park felt like “being at home,” he said.
Skateboarding “kept me sane, and it kept me out of trouble,” Brichetto said.
Laurie, 27, also found refuge in the park. A self-described “punk” growing up, Laurie was kicked out of high school as a freshman. Skating was “a central part” of his life, he said.
“I woke up every day, and I had a goal,” he said. “It teaches you all these lifelong skills. For every one success in any one trick of skateboarding, it takes thousands of failures.”
Plans slowly set in motion
Laurie founded Logan Square Skate in July 2021 to push for renovations at the park. From the beginning, he said, the goal was to design a park with durable concrete elements that allowed all ages and skill levels to enjoy it.
Logan Square Skate is seeking funding from city, state and private donors and got help from former state Sen. Cristina Pacione-Zayas, who provided $360,000 in appropriated funds.
If Logan Square Skate can secure the rest of its needed funding, the group hopes to break ground in the spring of next year. The group hired Los Angeles skate park design firm Spohn Ranch to devise the plans, which call for new bowls, ramps and stairs made entirely of concrete, green space, sitting areas for spectators and better pigeon waste maintenance.
IDOT did not respond to requests for comment on the viability of a concrete design.
Spohn Ranch provided plans at the beginning of February, which are now in the hands of the city and IDOT. It’s unclear when any action will be taken on the plans, as the city didn’t provide specifics on funding or a timeline when asked. And with another $1.29 million to raise on infrastructure, it’s not clear if construction will be able to start by next spring.
Laurie said his group has no intention of stopping. He hopes to bring these efforts to other parts of the city, providing spaces where kids like him can find a community.
“Skateboarding saved my life,” he said. “Disengaged youths and at-risk youths, they always end up at skate parks.”
He was right. A notice on the park district’s website announced that the Logan Boulevard Skate Park was closed “due to Kennedy Expressway repairs,” which is expected to be completed in late 2025, according to IDOT. A temporary fence was erected as part of the ongoing project.
Last Friday, there was no visible sign indicating the park was closed, and part of the fence had been pulled down. Skaters continue to use the park.
