By Yepoka Yeebo and Jordan Heller
DNAinfo Staff
LOWER MANHATTAN — The Brooklyn Banks, a world-famous skateboarding spot located under the Brooklyn Bridge, is expected to close on Tuesday for at least four years.
The city will use the brick plaza as a staging area for a reconstruction project that will bring much-needed repairs to the Brooklyn Bridge.
City contractors started removing the split rail and other skate obstacles on Friday afternoon.
“I think it’s a bummer," said Eroide Galano, a skateboarder who frequents the Banks. "Because a lot of people know about the place and it has a lot of history. When you think about New York, that’s the first place I think of, skating-wise, at least,” he added.
"Shutting [the Brooklyn Banks] down is like the equivalent to shutting down the Wimbeldon Court for Tennis, or shutting down St. Andrews for golf,” said skateboarder Nakul Munjal, another Banks regular.
The site has been a fixture in skateboarding culture since the 1970s. The Banks were featured in the 1985 cult skater classic "Future Primitive" and are prominently featured in multiple editions of the Tony Hawk skateboard video game series.
