The water is back on at LOVE park

Maybe it’s because I grew up in the south, where spring, summer, fall, and winter just don’t announce themselves the way they do here. But I get so much joy and delight in each change of our seasons — especially with the deciduous trees.

You don’t have to be a photographer to appreciate how those first buds appear at just the tips of branches that have been dark brown and grays all winter. Suddenly the trees are all filled with a light, bright fresh green that just feels new.

The splash fountain and basin-less main fountain in the park formally known as John F. Kennedy Plaza, was part of the site’s 2018 renovations. It came after the old park was flattened out, removing a traditional fountain and benches and levels that made it so enticing to skateboarders.

I thought of the skaters when I read a new skate plaza was opening at the Municipal Services Building, aiming to reignite skating culture following the loss of skateboarding at LOVE and Dilworth Parks.

I photographed urban planner Edmund Bacon with skateboarders who were trying to save LOVE park for their use. He was the “accidental genius” who created the perfect atmosphere for street skateboarding that drew so many skaters to the park. He first conceived of the park in 1932 as part of his architecture thesis while still in college, coming up with the step design and curving stairs years before he even knew what a skateboard was. Bacon died the next year, but now the skateboarding has returned.

Since 1998 a black-and-white photo has appeared every Monday in staff photographer Tom Gralish’s “Scene Through the Lens” photo column in the print editions of The Inquirer’s local news section. Here are the most recent, in color: