Skateboarders from multiple generations gathered at the Big Banks section of Brooklyn Banks last Saturday for Red Bull Origin, a one-day, invite-only street contest that brought established professionals, rising skaters and skateboarding legends together at one of New York City's most storied spots. The event landed at a pivotal moment for the location: the final phase of a long restoration effort at Brooklyn Banks was completed in time for the contest, according to organizers.
The gathering, held September 19 at the Brooklyn Banks in Lower Manhattan, was free for spectators, required no ticket, and welcomed all ages, according to Juice Magazine. As amNewYork reported, the day featured a session on the Big Banks, a 10-stair session, a 13-stair competition and a subway car showdown, giving skaters four distinct challenges to test their skills on the historic terrain.
A Landmark Reborn After Years of Restricted Access
Brooklyn Banks has been a cultural touchstone for New York's skate and action-sports communities since 1972, according to Gotham Park, which notes the spot fostered connections that cut across race, class, age and ability. The site became a hub for New York skateboarders in the late 1970s and grew into an epicenter of the city's skate scene, according to Red Bull.
The Banks experienced closures and renovations over the decades. Red Bull describes closures of the Small Banks and Big Banks; Gotham Park attributes the Big Banks' closure to Brooklyn Bridge construction work. The Big Banks reopened to the public in 2025 for the first time in 15 years, with Red Bull's history noting the reopening came after years of limited access, and Juice Magazine describing the landmark's return as triumphant.
Restoration Effort Involved Multiple Partners
An earlier reopening milestone came in 2023, before the Big Banks section itself came back online in 2025. Restoration work involved a collaboration between the city's Skatepark Project and Gotham Park. Steve Rodriguez, who grew up skating in New York, described the spot as home and said it remains a home base for many New York skaters.
Rodriguez, who grew up skating in New York, said people who visit New York have to see Brooklyn Banks and that the city's skate scene is experiencing a resurgence. Steve Rodriguez framed skateboarding itself as both a sport and an art. Eli Morgan Gesner discussed skateboarding as more than a sport, emphasizing the creative energy and unconventional approaches to progression that the discipline rewards. Rodney Mullen and Tony Hawk were cited as examples of that creativity, figures whose influence has shaped skateboarding across generations.
Four Challenges Tested Skaters on Historic Terrain
The 10-stair session saw Antonio Durao land a switch kickflip. The 13-stair competition went to Trevon Wade, who performed a backside Smith grind. Ryan DeCenzo threw down a kickflip, and Brian O'Dwyer added a frontside feeble grind, rounding out a day of runs across the Big Banks, the 10-stair, the 13-stair rail and the oversized subway car element.
Niko Sugimoto was on her way to winning the day's MVP honor for the women, according to the same Red Bull account, capping a contest that organizers said connected the past, present and future of New York skateboarding.
A Reunion Across Skateboarding Generations
Eli Morgan Gesner said New York had far fewer people in the 1980s and 1990s and described the city then as sort of abandoned, a backdrop against which skateboarding became his family. He noted that many former skaters have since grown up and now have their own children, a shift that has helped turn the restored Banks into a spot where multiple generations show up together. The event brought skaters from multiple generations together at the Banks.
A skater identified only as Eaton told organizers that skateboarders from different walks of life gathered to celebrate the sport, and that failure is simply part of the process. Eaton encouraged younger skaters to try hard, accept failure and learn from it, noting that winning requires failure along the way. That ethos echoed through a day that organizers say was built around bringing together people from different backgrounds and generations under one shared pursuit at a spot that, for many, never stopped being sacred ground.
