Skateboard City - Staten Island NY

A outdoor skatepark protected by an inflatable bubble in Winter

Skateboard City was situated on a large paved lot and featured a number of lexan ramps including a bowl and halfpipe that both lacked flatbottom, as well as a wide quarterpipe that faced a banked roller-style ramp.

In the winter, the park was sheltered inside of an inflatable dome, but after only 4 weeks the generator keeping the bubble inflated was destroyed and the fabric of the roof was sliced and vandalized. The park re-opened on January 5, 1980 and owners Frank and James Esposito said the repairs cost upwards of $15,000.

The park remained open until November 1980, but in early 1981 it closed down.  One of the ramps famously made its way into New Jersey pro skater Tom Groholski's backyard.

In a 2005 interview with Juice Magazine, Groholski said:

"They wanted a tax write-off, so my dad swindled something so the guy could claim a loss on it. We ended up with a big halfpipe. It was a perfect halfpipe. It was one of the Rad Ramps...It was 10-foot transitions with a 1/2-foot of vert. When we brought it to our yard, we put some flat bottom in it and added some vert. Eventually, we made it wider."