End of an era!
YouTube: Thrasher
According to recent reports, San Francisco is preparing to remove a concrete pedestrian bridge in Chinatown that most people barely notice and some actively dislike. For skateboarders, though, the structure is known by a different name and carries far more weight. China Banks, a legendary skate spot known across generations and continents, is expected to be demolished as part of a larger redesign of Portsmouth Square.If you walk past the bridge today, it does not look special.It sits above Kearny Street, wide and heavy, with concrete walls and built in benches that seem out of place. Some days it is empty. Other days a few people stop to sit for a while, mostly because there is nowhere else nearby to go. To the city, it has long been seen as dead space.To skateboarders, this bridge has never been empty.The bridge was built in the early seventies, during a period when concrete heavy design was common. It was meant to connect Portsmouth Square to the buildings across the street, but it never became a popular walking route. Over time, it picked up a reputation as awkward and unnecessary. Many locals questioned why it existed at all.
YouTube: Thrasher
Everything changed once skateboarding equipment improved. The angled walls that made the bridge strange for foot traffic turned out to be ideal for skating. The surface allowed boards to roll smoothly up and down the banks. The benches created natural lines that skaters could ride, jump, and link together. By the late seventies and early eighties, skaters had claimed the space. As skate videos became more common, China Banks started appearing on screens far beyond San Francisco. Clips filmed there circulated for years, turning the spot into something close to required viewing for anyone serious about skating street spots. Over the years, some of the most well known skaters in the city and beyond left their mark there. Big tricks were landed. Bigger attempts were slammed. Some of the most talked about moments in street skating history happened on that concrete. While the bridge gained importance in skate culture, it continued to frustrate local residents. Chinatown is densely populated, and Portsmouth Square is one of the few open public spaces available. Many residents felt the bridge blocked light, held moisture, and took up space that could be better used.
According to community feedback collected by the city, a majority of residents supported removing the bridge. City planners say the structure does not serve the needs of the neighborhood and creates safety and visibility issues. Plans to redesign the park have been discussed for years, delayed repeatedly by funding and logistics. Now those plans appear to be moving forward. Reports indicate that construction on the park redesign is expected to begin next year, with the bridge removed early in the process. Once that happens, China Banks as a physical place will no longer exist.City officials have pointed out that a skate feature inspired by China Banks has been built elsewhere. From a planning standpoint, that checks a box. From a cultural standpoint, it misses the point. China Banks was never just about shape. It was about location, history, and repetition. It was about knowing that the same concrete had been skated for decades by people you looked up to. That cannot be recreated somewhere else.For most of the city, the bridge’s removal will feel like a clean up. More open space. More light. Fewer complaints. The bridge’s official name will fade, and few people will miss it. For skateboarders, it marks the end of something that cannot be replaced. Once the bridge is gone, China Banks will exist only in footage, photos, and stories passed down from one skater to the next.