COLUMBUS, Ohio — The most iconic figure in skateboarding history made a stop in Columbus on Tuesday to visit one of the parks his father helped design more than 30 years ago.
Tony Hawk said sometime around 1988, the City of Columbus approached his dad about designing a skatepark in the Dodge Park and Community Center in the Franklinton neighborhood.
"My dad had established himself as a competent ramp builder by that time, so he was excited and honored to lend his expertise to a concrete project," Hawk said in a Facebook post.
The park was finished in 1990, but was outdated as the era of street skating emerged.
Hawk's father died in 1995, but the skate park has stood for 32 years.
The 54-year-old retired skateboarder stopped to visit the park for the first time in his life Tuesday, saying "this one's for you, dad."
Hawk concluded his heartfelt story about his visit by thanking the city for "solidifying my father's legacy," but said his dad wouldn't mind if the city resurfaced and updated the park for the next generation of skateboarders.
