The industry turned out Thursday for the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Vans Off the Wall Skatepark and Jack’s Garage Skate Shop in Huntington Beach.
The complex includes a 15,000 square foot bowl area, a 12,000 square foot street plaza, and a 3,000 square foot Jack’s Garage Skate Shop, which will be constructed with recycled shipping containers. The skate park will be free and open to the public.
Vans President Kevin Bailey said the company is making a multimillion dollar investment in the project.
While the event was skate focused, Kevin also spoke quite a bit about Vans’ roots in surfing and how its history is intertwined with both sports.
City officials emphasized that the project is not costing Huntington Beach “a dime.” City Councilman Joe Carchio said the south part of Huntington might be known as Surf City USA, and now the north will become Skate City USA.
The new skate park is located between the 405 Freeway and the Bella Terra Shopping Center, and as Don Brown of Sole Tech pointed out, conveniently located next to Old World Village and its European beer.
See our slide show, above, to view photos from the event.
