A certain section of Golden Gate Park near Sixth Avenue has been famed for decades for its Sunday afternoon roller-skate and rollerblade parties, but there was no skate party this past Sunday. And there will be no skate party for probably the next six to eight Sundays. That’s because a psychedelic roller-skating mural is being installed in the skate area known as Skatin' Place, as Hoodline reported in December that the mural was approved by SF Rec and Parks.
Some progress photos from the past week on Skatin’ Place’s mural! It is by Bay Area artist and longtime skater @WCrollerskate. The design honors San Francisco, Golden Gate Park & the park’s roller skating history. Stay tuned for more photos as we get closer to completion! pic.twitter.com/9PRyIU2rzB
— San Francisco Recreation and Park Department (@RecParkSF) May 31, 2022
Now the paint is finally hitting that popular patch of asphalt. As seen above, SF Rec and Parks tweeted some images Monday, saying, “Some progress photos from the past week on Skatin’ Place’s mural! It is by Bay Area artist and longtime skater @WCrollerskate. The design honors San Francisco, Golden Gate Park & the park’s roller skating history.”
Things are getting colorful at San Francisco's 6th Avenue Skatin Place! The waves are rolling in! Here's a peek at how the color is applied for the mural. 🎨🛼
— Roll With Soul® (@WCrollerskate) May 27, 2022
Video: Susan Sun/@recparksf #rollerskating #rollerskater #skate #sanfrancisco #goldengatepark pic.twitter.com/MJckBfy9eO
That artist is actually Redwood City-based Aimee Bruckner Stevland who posted some additional video of the mural being painted. “Things are getting colorful at San Francisco's 6th Avenue Skatin Place!,” the account tweeted Friday. “The waves are rolling in! Here's a peek at how the color is applied for the mural.”
According to a press release from Rec and Parks, the mural is expected to take “six to eight weeks to complete.” So it should be done sometime in July, and skating will resume as normal.
“This mural at 6th Avenue Skatin’ Place really represents roller skating’s contribution to quality of life in San Francisco,” Church of 8 Wheels founder and “Godfather of Skate” David Miles said in the release. “Generations have experienced the fun, the joy, the sheer excitement of coming here to roller skate on a bright Sunday afternoon. This mural is a great acknowledgment to those like myself and many others that have worked hard over the years to keep the good times rolling.”