Peter Mathews Memorial Skate Garden

Peter Mathews Memorial Skate Garden is St. Louis' first legal outdoor public skate park.^{[1][2][3][4][5][6]}

Peter Mathews Memorial Skate Garden
Type	Skatepark
Location	St. Louis
Coordinates	38°35′18″N 90°15′54″W / 38.588271°N 90.265055°W / 38.588271; -90.265055
Area	14,000 sq ft
Open	All year
Terrain	Concrete
Public transit access	MetroBus

History

The Peter Mathews Memorial Skate Garden is built on a Brownfield site of a Bevo Mill former gas station, auto repair, and radiator service station that ceased operating in 1988.^[7] Since 1999, the City of Saint Louis has owned the 14,000-square-foot property through the Land Reutilization Authority.^[7] Cleanup of the lot began in 2003.^[7] Impressed by how they maintained their DIY skatepark, the City of Saint Louis rented the current site of the Peter Mathews Memorial Skate Garden to the KHVT.^[8]

Kinghighway D.I.Y. skatespot

A group of local skaters between 2009 and 2015 built the Kinghighway D.I.Y. skatespot under the South Kinghshighway viaduct.^[8] When the elevated roadway was demolished in July 2015, St. Louis was left with no free public skateparks.^[8] The group organized themselves into a non-profit the Kingshighway Vigilante Transitions (KHVT) and petitioned the city for a space to build the first free-to-the-public, legal skate park in the City of St. Louis.^[8]

Peter Mathews

The skate garden was named for Peter Mathews, a local skater who died tragically in a car crash.^[9]

References

1. Hill, Daniel. "St. Louis' Only Legal Outdoor Skate Park Prepares to Unveil a Huge Upgrade". Riverfront Times. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
2. Reporter, Lauren Pozen. "Only legal skate park in St. Louis ready to unveil second phase". KMOV.com. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
3. Rodriguez, Roberto. "The Peter Mathews Memorial Skate Garden". STLtoday.com. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
4. "Photos: Skateboarders fly at St. Louis park". STLtoday.com. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
5. "Peter Mathews Memorial Skate Garden Benefit Show at NOCOAST". thefrozenfoodsection.com. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
6. "Backyard Crash: St. Louis, MO". Team Pain Skate Parks. 2014-04-17. Retrieved 2020-03-06.
7. "Peter Mathews Memorial Skate Park". stlouis-mo.gov. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
8. Moore, Doug. "With demise of Kingshighway bridge, so goes the skateboard park underneath". STLtoday.com. Retrieved 2020-08-24.
9. "Peter Mathews Memorial Skate Park". stlouis-mo.gov. Retrieved 2020-08-24.