It’s been a while since I’ve covered the Kings Highway DIY project in St Louis. Much like BSSS before it, Kings Highway enjoyed an existence as an officially tolerated temporary DIY skate a finite lifespan. The crumbling bridge it rests under was built in 1936, and scheduled for demolition next spring. Amazingly, they’re still adding onto it as late as last week. Unlike BSSS, however, There are definite plans for a replacement… of sorts. The city is leasing an unused parcel of land to the non profit for $1 a month, but the non-profit has to pay $2,000 in insurance annually, as well as funding the entire construction. They are also losing the overhead coverage that they used to have, cutting down on the amount of time the park will be usable. You’d think a major American city with no public skatepark could do better than that. The locals have been actively fundraising though, and have even secured a 5k grant from the Tony Hawk Foundation, bringing their total fundraising efforts to $13,000. They’ve even got a listing for material and other donations on Craigslist. I’m not sure that the before and after square footage evens out though. The new…

The Kings Highway DIY project in St Louis is scheduled to be torn down within a year as the 76 year old bridge overhead is being demolished. KHVT (Kingshighway Vigilante Transitions 501c3) organizers are working with the city to fundraise and sanction the first public free skatepark in the city. To ensure that the skateboarders of St. Louis will still have a place to skate, KHVT must act quickly. We are working closely with St. Louis City’s Land Re-utilization Authority (LRA) to find small, unused city owned properties to be transformed into free, public “skate gardens.” As of now, KHVT is $33,000 short of the $50k they need to build this first spot. And that’s where the Kickstarter campaign comes in.

In the Saint Louis area, creatures come out at night, armed with trowels and shovels. What are they building on King’s Highway? Check it out. This picture is f-ed up. I love it. UPDATE: more pics over here. – Thanks to Bob Mechtly for the tip.