Andy Kessler (skateboarder)
Encyclopedia
Andrew Kessler was a New York City
skateboarder, a prominent member of The Soul Artists of Zoo York
, which eventually broke up in 1980 and was featured in the documentary Deathbowl to Downtown.
of Manhattan
. He started skateboarding in the early 1970s in Central Park
, on a short hill near to its West 69th Street entrance. He soon joined a group of inner city kids congregating around the bandshell inside the park at West 71st Street, the street he was raised on. The steep paths of nearby Riverside Park
also became a favorite haunt of Kessler and other skateboarders.
technology advanced through the introduction of urethane wheels and specially designed skateboard trucks replaced makeshift rollerskate trucks, Kessler joined other New York kids in developing new forms and styles of skating, including the use of ramps—often consisting of plywood billboard leaned against a park wall or building—to "go vertical" and improvise other acrobatic tricks. Emerging as a leading figure among city boarders, he helped found an associated group of the 1970s graffiti
gang The Soul Artists—a splinter group which became known as the skateboard crew Soul Artists of Zoo York.
Featured in trade catalogues and articles in skateboard magazines such as "Thrasher
" and "Transworld Skateboarding," Kessler became a guiding force in the design, development, funding and building of "skateparks" citywide, nationwide and eventually worldwide. He was also a community youth activist who worked with city teens to better themselves, their circumstances, and their urban environment, often in conjunction with the creation of free skating facilities to expend their energies on.
and the Upper West Side
, Riverside Skate Park became the city's first municipal park facility designed and constructed solely for skateboarders and rollerblade
rs. One of the top five applications in the National Park Service
's "Innovation in Recreation" Grant Program, the project received a $50,000 grant
, which was matched by the New York City Parks Department, the City Parks Foundation, and local lumber, pipe and paint suppliers. Kessler supervised twenty Manhattan teenagers who, after participating in a workshop conducted by the Alternatives to Violence Project
, spent five weeks building Riverside Skate Park. The result is one of the most creative recreation
facilities in New York City, which transformed an obsolete and disused playground, and provided thousands of city kids a place of their own to skate.
Kessler also headed up the design and construction of skateparks in New York's boroughs outside Manhattan, in Long Island
, California
and other states and in the Caribbean Islands. He recently designed and hand built, with the help of two friends, a skatepark for the Youth Center on Rock City Road in Woodstock, New York
.
sting he suffered near Montauk, New York
, where he was spending summer time surfing and helping a friend get off drugs.
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
skateboarder, a prominent member of The Soul Artists of Zoo York
Zoo York
Zoo York is a style and social philosophy inspired by the New York City graffiti art subculture of the 1970s. Its name originates from a subway tunnel running underneath the area of the Central Park Zoo...
, which eventually broke up in 1980 and was featured in the documentary Deathbowl to Downtown.
Early life
Kessler and his twin sister were born in Athens, Greece, adopted by an American family and raised on the Upper West SideUpper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
of Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
. He started skateboarding in the early 1970s in Central Park
Central Park
Central Park is a public park in the center of Manhattan in New York City, United States. The park initially opened in 1857, on of city-owned land. In 1858, Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won a design competition to improve and expand the park with a plan they entitled the Greensward Plan...
, on a short hill near to its West 69th Street entrance. He soon joined a group of inner city kids congregating around the bandshell inside the park at West 71st Street, the street he was raised on. The steep paths of nearby Riverside Park
Riverside Park (Manhattan)
Riverside Park is a scenic waterfront public park on the Upper West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City, operated and maintained by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. The park consists of a narrow four-mile strip of land between the Hudson River and the gently...
also became a favorite haunt of Kessler and other skateboarders.
Skateboarding career
As skateboardSkateboard
A skateboard is typically a specially designed plywood board combined with a polyurethane coating used for making smoother slides and stronger durability, used primarily for the activity of skateboarding. The first skateboards to reach public notice came out of the surfing craze of the early 1960s,...
technology advanced through the introduction of urethane wheels and specially designed skateboard trucks replaced makeshift rollerskate trucks, Kessler joined other New York kids in developing new forms and styles of skating, including the use of ramps—often consisting of plywood billboard leaned against a park wall or building—to "go vertical" and improvise other acrobatic tricks. Emerging as a leading figure among city boarders, he helped found an associated group of the 1970s graffiti
Graffiti
Graffiti is the name for images or lettering scratched, scrawled, painted or marked in any manner on property....
gang The Soul Artists—a splinter group which became known as the skateboard crew Soul Artists of Zoo York.
Featured in trade catalogues and articles in skateboard magazines such as "Thrasher
Thrasher
Thrashers are a New World group of passerine birds related to mockingbirds and New World catbirds. Like these, they are in the Mimidae family. There are 15 species in one large and 4 monotypic genera.These do not form a clade but are a phenetic assemblage...
" and "Transworld Skateboarding," Kessler became a guiding force in the design, development, funding and building of "skateparks" citywide, nationwide and eventually worldwide. He was also a community youth activist who worked with city teens to better themselves, their circumstances, and their urban environment, often in conjunction with the creation of free skating facilities to expend their energies on.
Skate parks
Kessler headed up efforts to create a skatepark in Riverside Park, which was dedicated by New York City Parks Commissioner Henry J. Stern on August 21, 1996. Built with the help of teenagers from HarlemHarlem
Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, which since the 1920s has been a major African-American residential, cultural and business center. Originally a Dutch village, formally organized in 1658, it is named after the city of Haarlem in the Netherlands...
and the Upper West Side
Upper West Side
The Upper West Side is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan, New York City, that lies between Central Park and the Hudson River and between West 59th Street and West 125th Street...
, Riverside Skate Park became the city's first municipal park facility designed and constructed solely for skateboarders and rollerblade
Rollerblade
Rollerblade is a brand of inline skates owned by Nordica, part of the Tecnica Group of Trevignano, Treviso, Italy.The company was started by Scott Olsen and Brennan Olson in Minneapolis as Ole's Innovative Sports; when they sold the company, it became Rollerblade, Inc...
rs. One of the top five applications in the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
's "Innovation in Recreation" Grant Program, the project received a $50,000 grant
Grant (money)
Grants are funds disbursed by one party , often a Government Department, Corporation, Foundation or Trust, to a recipient, often a nonprofit entity, educational institution, business or an individual. In order to receive a grant, some form of "Grant Writing" often referred to as either a proposal...
, which was matched by the New York City Parks Department, the City Parks Foundation, and local lumber, pipe and paint suppliers. Kessler supervised twenty Manhattan teenagers who, after participating in a workshop conducted by the Alternatives to Violence Project
Alternatives to Violence Project
The Alternatives to Violence Project is a volunteer-run conflict transformation program. Teams of trained AVP facilitators conduct experiential workshops to develop participants' abilities to resolve conflicts without resorting to manipulation, coercian, or violence. Typically, each workshop...
, spent five weeks building Riverside Skate Park. The result is one of the most creative recreation
Recreation
Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for enjoyment, amusement, or pleasure and are considered to be "fun"...
facilities in New York City, which transformed an obsolete and disused playground, and provided thousands of city kids a place of their own to skate.
Kessler also headed up the design and construction of skateparks in New York's boroughs outside Manhattan, in Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and other states and in the Caribbean Islands. He recently designed and hand built, with the help of two friends, a skatepark for the Youth Center on Rock City Road in Woodstock, New York
Woodstock, New York
Woodstock is a town in Ulster County, New York, United States. The population was 5,884 at the 2010 census, down from 6,241 at the 2000 census.The Town of Woodstock is in the northern part of the county...
.
Death
Kessler died in 2009, from complications due to an allergic reaction to a waspWasp
The term wasp is typically defined as any insect of the order Hymenoptera and suborder Apocrita that is neither a bee nor an ant. Almost every pest insect species has at least one wasp species that preys upon it or parasitizes it, making wasps critically important in natural control of their...
sting he suffered near Montauk, New York
Montauk, New York
Montauk [ˈmɒntɒk] is a census-designated place that roughly corresponds to the hamlet with the same name located in the town of East Hampton in Suffolk County, New York, United States on the South Shore of Long Island. As of the United States 2000 Census, the CDP population was 3,851 as of 2000...
, where he was spending summer time surfing and helping a friend get off drugs.