May 30, 2017
Taking a trip to Sweden anytime soon? You'll feel right at home.
Large slabs of granite from Philadelphia's LOVE Park have recently been sent to Malmö, Sweden, according to CBS3.
Gustav Eden, the city's "skateboarding coordinator," contacted Josh Nims of Franklin's Paine Skatepark Fund to get the pieces.
Nims told the news station that half a million pounds of granite were taken from LOVE Park during recent construction, so there was enough to hand out, though Eden didn't disclose how exactly he plans to use the slabs.
“Well, of course, it’s sacred and to share that with another city making a skate park that used that granite was very attractive to us," Nims told CBS3.
LOVE Park, at Broad Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard, was once known as a large skateboarding hub, though the activity wasn't always welcome.
Mayor John Street enforced a skateboarding ban in 2002, costing some up to $300 in fines, that Mayor Jim Kenney lifted in February 2016 before the city broke ground on a $16.5 million redesign project that will make for a much greener park.
The project is far from finished; it had been expected to be completed by this spring.
Though it's not clear what will become of the slabs during their European adventure, there's no denying that Malmö is a good home for them.
The Swedish city is known for its skateboarding culture. Part of the Vans Park Series, a worldwide skateboarding championship, was just held there over the weekend.
