(Photo: Elfant Wissahickon Realtor, Christopher Plant and his sons with Mayor Nutter)
On May 22, Philadelphia’s skateboarding community, long at odds with the city, finally received a place of their own in the newly completed Paine’s Park! The park, which incorporates sustainable design and accommodates both pedestrians and skaters, is receiving national attention as the first –and largest — open space in the country designed specifically for skateboarders!
Inga Saffron, Architecture Critic for the Inquirer said in Changing Skyline: “It’s ironic that the skaters, banished from LOVE Park because of conflicts, have built a park that encourages mingling, rather than a charmless concrete bowl where members of the tribe could do their skating tricks in peace. Paine’s Park is not just a top-notch skate park, it is a fine public park. As one of the first purpose-built skate parks designed by an architect, the difference in quality shows.”
Elfant Wissahickon Realtor, Christopher Plant has been the board Vice President since 2006 and Jamie Elfant, daughter of partner Bob Elfant, was the Executive Director for 2 years. Elfant Wissahickon has been a great supporter of the project since its inception and is proud to see it finally come to fruition.
