The City of Santa Monica Department of Community and Cultural Services will celebrate the opening of The Cove skatepark on Friday June 17 from 5 to 8 p.m.
Located in Memorial Park near the corner of 14th Street and Olympic Boulevard, the 20,000 square foot concrete installation is named for the legendary Santa Monica surf spot that the Dogtown and Z-Boy skaters immortalized in the late 1960s and early 1970s.
After a brief dedication ceremony, skateboarders and bikers will inaugurate the new park.
Regular operating hours and open skating will begin Saturday, June 18, at 11 a.m. To use The Cove, skaters and bikers must register, obtain an identification card, sign a waiver, and pay for a membership or day use.The Cove was designed and built by Wally Hollyday and California Skateparks, who have built well-known skateparks in Fontana, Nashville, and Lakewood. Based on an extensive skatepark survey, and suggestions from skaters and bikers, The Cove design includes ramps, bowls, stairs, a skate pool with tile and coping, an over-vertical bowl, and the Douglas Park rail, a park stair rail that was seen in many 1990s skate videos and was salvaged from demolition.