Granite From From Love Park Sent To Sweden Skateboarding City
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A little piece of Philadelphia now resides in Sweden.
Several large slabs of granite from Love Park have been sent to a Swedish city known for skateboarding.
The city of Malmo has a lot in common with Philadelphia: A former manufacturing town, hard hit by a shifting economy. But Malmo saw skateboarding as a resource.
"We've learned that skateboarding is not detrimental to urban life but can actually be an asset in activating spaces," said Gustav Eden, the city's skateboarding co-ordinator.
People move there to skate, says Eden, and leading sponsors, like Vans, hold major competitions there. So there was a civic sense of mourning when it heard Love Park was closing.
"The skating world has lost something," said Eden.
Eden got in touch with Josh Nims, founder of Franklin's Skate Fund, custodians of the granite removed from Love Park and came to Philadelphia to request some, which Nims understood.
"Well, of course, it's sacred and to share that with another city making a skate park that used that granite was very attractive to us.
Nims says about half a million pounds of granite was moved from Love Park, so there was plenty to share. Eden is very hush, hush about how Malmo plans to use the granite but says he thinks it will rock the skateboarding world.
