The good news keeps on rollin’ in — The long-awaited skate park addition is coming to Fire Station Park (1616 Hemphill St.) in the Near Southside. After years of planning, the city celebrated with a groundbreaking in July 2022 + we’re here to answer all your questions about the $1.6 million Dickies Skate Plaza.
We’ve been talking about this for years — what took so long?
Five years ago, Near Southsiders set up a temporary park near the Fire Station Community Center to showcase what could be for the park’s future. Near Southside Inc. sponsored a series of community meetings about the expansion + the skateboard community lobbied for a skate park to be a central feature.
How did it happen?
With a handful of skate parks in the north and northwest part of the city, the community made it their mission to build one in the Near Southside. Local businesses, like Magnolia Skate Shop, raised $80,000 for the project, and according to the city, a $300,000 donation from VF Foundation — the philanthropic arm of Dickies’ parent company, VF Corp. — made the skate plaza possible.
Enough logistics talk, what’s this park going to be like?
The 15,000-sqft skate plaza will feature obstacles for skateboarders of all skill levels + skateable pathways throughout the park. For those who’d rather kick back and watch the professionals, here’s what else you can enjoy:
- A dog park
- Community green
- 5,000-sqft all-wheel track
- Market plaza
Part of the bigger picture
Dickies Skate Plaza is one portion of a master plan — and the most recent iteration — of Fire Station Park. In the 1970s, Fort Worth Fire Station No. 8 was converted to a community center and an adjacent 3.1-acre park.
In addition to the skate park, the 2019 master plan design includes a market plaza, community green + improved lighting.
The city council recently increased the project’s funding by $1 million to add a steel pavilion, pump track, pedestrian walkway, event lawn turf + angled street parking. With the city’s increased funding, the design and construction of the park improvements will total $2,697,092.
How can I get to the park?
The park and skate plaza sits at the major intersection of Allen Avenue and Hemphill Street — an area easily accessible by Trinity Metro’s Bus Route 1 and the Near Southside’s protected bike lane network.
Originally slated to be completed this month, the construction timeline has been extended + is predicted to wrap up in March 2023. Keep up with the park’s progress here.
