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
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