#spotcheck #tfreport

The entire inside perimeter of Tompkins being surrounded by benches is really going to upend the politics of the place.

#tfreport — Tompkins Construction Begins Today

Construction to renovate the Tompkins Square Park ball-field — better known as the T.F. — began today. Posted signs say that it will reopen on December 1st. However, we’ve been around long enough to know that the city takes its time, and that date could get extended into the future.

We outlined the basic changes occurring to the park in the post announcing the construction: new asphalt fixing all the cracks, obviously no AstroTurf, a painted track on the floor, no more dugouts, more benches (though they are the 1939 World’s Fair benches), and an end to all permitted sports allowed in the space (meaning no more Sunday hockey in the fall or District Attorney softball in the summer.) The skateable obstacles that were in good condition were placed in storage. The ones that were falling apart were discarded.

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F.T.I. Comp #tfreport

Tompkins Square Park — like all other skate spots, institutions, and thinktanks — is subject to the winds of time and generational shifts. The Tompkins of today is a different ecosystem of personality and obstacles than even the one that stood on the original Save Tompkins Day in 2019.

…much like that one is different from the immediate post-Autumn days when the lifespan of a box or rail would rarely exceed 72 hours.

…and that one was different from the post-9/11 years when it first became a buzzing central hub that exceeded the popularity of any traditional street spot.

…and that one was different from the Skate NYC days depicted in endlessly reposted nineties lore.

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