Love Park Sent to Sweden
Granite from Philadelphia’s LOVE Park Sent to Sweden
Half a million pounds of granite is being sent to Malmö, a city in Sweden known for skateboarding.
The granite being shipped to Sweden is from the famous ”LOVE Park” in Philadelphia that is now
closed for construction.
The plaza was originally constructed in 1965 and designed by famed City Planner Edmond Bacon.
It is located in Center City of Philadelphia, in John F. Kennedy Plaza, northwest of City Hall. The
name ”LOVE Park” was given due to Robert Indiana’s ”LOVE” sculpture that was installed in 1976.
The plaza is currently under construction until September 2017. The park is undergoing a major
redesign that will add green space, which makes the relocation of the granite possible.
Why Malmö, Sweden?
There are several things that Philadelphia and Malmö share in common. Both are former
manufacturing towns that have public spaces that are popular for skateboarding. LOVE Park was
one of the most popular skateboarding destinations in the world even though skateboarding has
been illegal there since around 2002. Malmö is one of the most popular cities for skateboarding
in Sweden.
Gustav Eden, the official skateboarding coordinator for the city of Malmö, requested the granite
for an upcoming skateboarding related project. Mr. Eden is known for transforming Malmö into a
skateboarding capital of Sweden, which includes even a skateboarding high school. Furthermore,
he has co-operated with the city in hosting the Vans Park Series which is the world championship
for park terrain skateboarding. Mr. Eden reached out to Philadelphia’s Josh Nims, co-founder
Franklin’s Paine Skatepark Fund and operations manager for the Schuylkill River Development
Corporation, who agreed to help with his project.
The granite sent to Malmö will preserve Philadelphia’s and LOVE Park’s history in the new
skateboarding destination. Mr. Eden has not revealed further details of the project yet, but the
skateboarding world is waiting for what is next to come.
page 20