Landmark Hermosa: Skate Park

Skateboarding has become a quintessential element of Southern California culture, with history rooted in our very own beach city.

While the Hermosa Beach Skate Park, which sits on the corner of Pier Avenue and Valley Drive, was built 12 years ago, skateboarding’s presence in Hermosa Beach dates back to the 1960s, according to reports.

In 1963, "sidewalk surfing" made its official debut at the "First Skateboard Contest" held in Hermosa Beach at the old Pier Avenue Junior High School, which is now home to the .

About 100 audience members witnessed the historic exhibition of South Bay skateboarders, according to the Hermosa Beach Historical Society. And, just two years following, in 1965, skateboarding in Southern California was featured on the cover of Life magazine.

As early skaters gained momentum on the sidewalks, so did their influence on beach culture. By the 1970s, surf shops began retailing skateboards.

The first to do this in Hermosa Beach was Unity Surf Shop, then located at 422 PCH, motivating Eddie Talbot of to develop his own skateboard and open the doors to a new surf and skate store.

During the same time, skate parks were being built to keep the skaters off streets and sidewalks. Though skateboarding is a longstanding tradition in Hermosa, the city's first and only skate park was built in 1999, coincidentally next to the building that hosted the first contest.

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