West LA Courthouse Saved Again

FIRST THINGS FIRST—SOME MUCH NEEDED GOOD NEWS—THE WEST LA COURTHOUSE HAS BEEN SAVED (AGAIN)!

Thanks to Converse, Alec Beck at the Skatepark Project, and City Councilwoman Traci Park, the West LA Civic Center plaza—the Stage®, the Fountain®, benches, stairs and now multiple DIY curbs, flatbars, launch ramps and assorted nick-knacks will all be saved from redevelopment/demolition and serve as an official skate plaza once again. If you read nothing else in this article, take note of this event:

Saturday, February 7, 2026 (11:00AM-2PM) will see the unveiling of the brand new skate obstacles and the official re-opening of the now Converse-backed Courthouse Skate Plaza!

Come through Santa Monica Blvd. and Purdue in West LA and celebrate 50 years of skateboard history and progression. Picture this as Courthouse’s ‘Epicenter’—the recent celebration in SF of the legendary Embarcadero. Except this one perhaps has a happier ending (It looks like EMB will still be bulldozed).

Courthouse Best of 1988-2024

It is hard to break all of this down without sharing some of my own story. I moved to LA from EU in 1994 to attend UCLA having seen the Courthouse in all my favorite videos and magazines going back to Rubbish Heap (Goldfish had come out that spring and it seemed like 90% of the video was shot at Courthouse). I quickly learned the cross streets of Purdue and Santa Monica from fellow UCLA student Meter aka Dmitri and took the #1 Blue Bus down from Westwood. It felt like walking onto the set of a movie I had seen a thousand times. It was also roundly the center of the skateboard universe in ‘94—the main nerve.

Over the next three decades, I lived within skating distance. So many aspects of my life—friends, memorable sessions, big life events have all been tied to that space. I have friends who have passed on (Robbie McKinley and Chris Casey to name only two) who I will forever connect to it. My kids have grown up going to the farmers market there. As recently as last month, my son took free piano lessons upstairs at the library on Saturday mornings while I got to skate. I know most of the homeless people there by name. I know every single crack or seam on the ground by heart. I share all this only to convey how deeply connected to Courthouse I feel.

The first time I ever visited the spot in ’94 the court was still in full swing and you couldn’t put your board down until after 5:00pm. Over the next 30 years it went through multiple cycles of being a full-go, to skateable after hours, to skateable but you had to run from the cops or get a ticket, to fully knobbed and a bust from around 2007-2014. Sessions never fully stopped throughout.

Courthouse was finally unknobbed and officially liberated as a skate plaza in 2014. Read the full breakdown of that amazing story here.   

After Nike locked down a five-year-plan, that agreement ended in 2019. By 2021, with Covid in full swing, we were being told the entire space was going to be demolished and rebuilt into a shopping/living space that would prohibit skateboarding. As a consolation prize, there was talk of a tiny skate space being built nearby with some obstacles that paid homage. Many of us went to City Council meetings in person and on zoom to protest the loss of the skateboard history and profess the active skate culture still there. Every time I have driven past the spot since ’21, I’ve dreaded seeing bulldozers flattening it. I’m not even sure how I’d feel if I saw the stage coming down—like seeing my life imploding before my eyes. Probably how the Badlanders felt watching Upland Pipeline go. Well somehow it is still standing. My first order of business was to find out exactly how in God’s name this happened. Once again, the majority of the credit goes to The Skatepark Project’s Alec Beck.

Alec Beck Q&A:

ME: Let’s pick up where we left off in 2014. You had just miraculously liberated the Courthouse and it was set for a five-year run with Nike. That agreement expired in ’19, Covid hit and the location remained skateable. Then the “West LA Commons” development was green lit—slated to redevelop the entire site, destroying the famed mixed-use skate space once and for all. That big development has since folded, granting a stay of execution for the foreseeable future.  As it stood in ‘21, you were working to try to replicate portions of the Courthouse elsewhere in LA, in preparation for the new private development.  Now I'm hearing that the spot will remain intact, and may even have some upgrades coming... What changed?

Beck: Stoked to be chatting with you about this, Mackenzie. Who would have thought we'd be here again? Yes - you said it. We were working on "replicating" a few key elements of the spot a few blocks away - to get some sort of crumbs out of this feast that we have at the Courthouse. It quickly became clear how steep of a hill that was to climb (a lack of sites and a need for millions of dollars). We'd spent some years trying to figure out how to get it done before things closed down. Luckily for the skaters and all the other locals that use this plaza, the big commercial development fell through due to rising interest rates. This opened up the door to us pivoting (to fakie), and brainstorming ways to continue to support the skaters and other locals in some way for the foreseeable future. To put our stake in the ground for these folks that love and take care of this space, and to remind the area what it's all about. That's when our dear friends at Converse stepped up in a big way. 

Can you break down all the parties involved in this new agreement?
Converse, The Skatepark Project (formerly known as the Tony Hawk Foundation), the West LA Sawtelle Neighborhood Council and Council Member Traci Park (CD11) have all come together to create a new moment for this beloved space. CD11 and WLASNC have long been supporters of the skaters. Because their offices are so close, they see first-hand how the skateboarding community has loved and cared for this space over the years. They recognize the skate community as a value-add, not a detriment. It's that kind of clear-minded perspective that allows us to move past old ideas and create new opportunities. Skateparks and skate plazas are incredibly valuable, and absolutely have their place, but it's high-time we see more shared, mixed-use skate areas in the U.S.

What was the process for designing these new skateable additions?
This was a tricky one. It's a spot, not a skatepark. So finding the right balance of new features that feel like they resonate with the rest of the architecture and the history of the space, without feeling redundant or sanitized, is key. After a lot of deliberation and many conversations with locals, we determined the best way to positively impact the space was to upgrade the down-flat-down stair set area with a few key elements (technically 8 new elements) that you can't find elsewhere in the spot or nearby - but somehow still compliment it well. We worked with CA Skateparks to dial in the details and get the most from the support that Converse and The Skatepark Project are bringing to this project. I don't want to give too much away, but I think it's a very solid addition to the site and will provide many more options to skate and film for years to come. Plus, there's a 99% chance that you'll still be able to skate the spot as you did before. That said, I've learned in 18 years of this job that you can't make everyone happy when designing a skatepark or spot, but you can do your best to get the job done as well as possible. That means connecting with stakeholders and making sure you hear and understand their needs. I'm grateful for the locals that have stepped up to share their thoughts about the opportunity. Thankfully, a few heavy hitters who are synonymous with the space have also signed off on the design, which lowers my blood pressure a little bit. It's a lot of responsibility, a project like this. I owe a lot to the Courthouse. I'm incredibly grateful to somehow still be involved after all these years and I take that responsibility seriously. It can be stressful, but there's no place I'd rather be.

Living in West LA I noticed Traci Park, our City Councilwoman (Council District 11) has been making a number of positive improvements to the community infrastructure. I also noticed in her emails that she is playing up her partnership with you, The Skatepark Project, as well as calling the Courthouse a skate plaza now. Is she an ally for skateboarders?
As much of an ally to skaters that one can be, Traci Park is just that. She and her team seem to understand the value of the space and the activity, and want to support it in any way they can. I work with supportive (and not so supportive) government officials all over the country about skateparks and skate spots, and it's been very refreshing working with her team. It's also worth noting that Jay Handel from the Neighborhood Council has been our biggest champion over the years, helping to get it decriminalized in 2013 and laying the groundwork for Traci's team to partner with us on a project like this today. Without Jay, the Courthouse would still be illegal and a proper bust. Likewise, Walton Chiu from the WLANC and Nancy Vascovo from the WLA Community Coalition have also been incredibly supportive. But to have the CD Council Office/Traci Park support this is literally next level municipal support for the expansion of a proper street spot in an official capacity. Truly great to see.

How did Converse get involved?
The Skatepark Project and Converse have been working together for years to help support unique skate spaces, like this one. Last year, we worked with Converse on the UN Plaza Expansion project in San Francisco, using CONS rider, Alexis Sablone, and Austin Kanfoush to add an exciting new skate area to the space. Converse has been incredibly supportive of TSP's mission. They understand that supporting infrastructure and skate advocacy can provide a foundation for access for the next generations of skaters and an avenue for a lifetime of passion and community connection. They aren't in it to see their logo on the spot. They're just down for the cause and really seem to just "get it." 

Can you break down the event happening Feb. 7?
We're cutting the ribbon and opening the new spot! That's a very strange sentence to say, but it's a good sign for skate urbanism. On February 7th from 11-2PM, we'll be celebrating the new obstacles with a grand opening event. Skating, music, retrospective gallery, giveaways, mural painting, skate clinics, cash for tricks competition, Converse team demo and more. Definitely one to come out to. Lastly, if I may - If a reader wants to see more of this type of work done, reach out to The Skatepark Project at Skatepark.org. People need to know that they can be the one to do this sort of thing in their town. It takes one person to rally a village and get things done. 

There you have it. A huge thanks to Alec and all at The Skatepark Project, Converse, Traci Park, Jay Handel, Walton Chiu, West LA Sawtelle Neighborhood Council, Nancy Vascovo and everybody else who helped make this a reality. Keep reading for a walk through 50 years of Courthouse history.

Origins of the Courthouse:

In the spirit of this celebration, I wanted to use my semi-monthly TWS article to look back on Courthouse’s past as we can now legally skate it again for the foreseeable future. For the origins of the Courthouse, everything begins between 1956-1960 when the West LA Civic Center and amphitheater are designed and constructed by architect Albert Criz. As far as skateboarding; sessions most certainly went down there during the ‘60s and ‘70s, but the beginnings of streetstyle skating in the early to mid-80s represent the first modern coverage.   

Jef Hartsel, Alva Posse Mid-80s:
“The first person that took me to the Courthouse to skate was Tony Alva. Alva was skating that before anybody. That was our regular spot. We would skate there for sunsets. TA lived in an apartment barely a block from there when he got married in the mid ‘80s. Also across the street, the last time I was in LA I went to check it and it was still there on Sepulveda and Santa Monica—but that marble (Eric) Dressen bank was right there too (Sadly gone now —Ed). It was hard to skate. It had a really tall corner. We would hit that and the Courthouse with the Alva crew.”

Alva Young Gunz (1988) with Jesse Neuhaus and the Posse hitting the ‘Dressen Bank’ and the Courthouse (Jesse), video by Alva Skates

After a quick glimpse of Duc and John there in Rubbish Heap (’89), Eric Dressen gets the first marquis coverage at Courthouse with his Nov. 1991 thrasher cover on the heels of his ’90 Risk It part filmed there. I hit him up for a walk down memory lane.

Eric Dressen Q&A:

Do you remember the first time you went to Courthouse?
The first time I ever went was probably 1986 or so. I went and just skated the Stage sort of like a loading dock. Skating off of it—right when early street-style, like the original street skating was coming in. These dudes that lived around there that would hang out at Rip City (Skateshop) and stuff, they’d go there and just skate off the stage. Around ’89 this guy Ronnie lived a block away on Sawtelle and he was always there skating around all fast. He was claiming that spot as his.

Did it look pretty pristine in the beginning?
Yeah, everything was still pretty nice. There were no homeless people in there or anything like that. The fountain was always empty though. I never saw it with water in there.

Can you break down shooting the thrasher cover?
I think I had gone before the cover to film for Risk It in maybe ’89 with Tony Roberts.

Had you ever seen anyone 50-50 the fountain ledge before you tried it?
I don’t think so. That day I was there with Tom Knox and he noseslid the other side.

That’s right, I know that Tom Knox photo from a Santa Cruz ad I think.
Yeah, he noseslid the one side just down the first four stairs and then I got the 50-50 on the other side. I don’t know why I didn’t try to 50-50 the whole thing looking back now. I think I had an old school way of thinking where something like that was just impossible. It wasn’t waxed at all either. We hadn’t even heard of wax yet. That was right when I found out you could wax ledges and make things a bit easier (laughs).

You still kind of grind half way to the next set of stairs though (and 180 out).
I can’t remember. But that was all with Tony. Then around 1990 we started skating Courthouse hard. We started skating the ledges, stairs, stage and everything in there. It picked up and started getting more crowded. Even up through ’94 I would skate there any time.

Getting back to the cover, who was Sleeper?
Sleeper was one of Mike Ballard’s friends. Ballard met up with us at the Courthouse and he brought his friend Sleeper. I was doing the nose bonk thing off the top fountain and Ballard helped Sleeper set up and shoot the photo. Then it ended up on the cover. I think back then the photographers just sent everything up to Thrasher in hopes that something would get used. I guess they liked that shot.

You mentioned you had also shot that same photo with (Chris) Ortiz?
Yeah, sorry Chris. I think I had shot the same photo there with Ortiz a short time before Ballard came down with Sleeper.

That makes sense as there are some other Ortiz photos of you at Courthouse from ‘90/’91.
I can’t remember why but back then we would sort of just do our regular tricks when people came to shoot photos. I did the same tricks probably both days with Ortiz and Ballard.

Mofo (legendary Thrasher photo editor) probably opted for the tight cropping like that?
Yeah, I think Mofo probably edited it that way. He was sort of known for liking that type of image with the skater real big in the frame. Obviously the downside is you can’t see how big the drop is right there.

Would people have recognized that as the Courthouse by then?
I think so. It was already super popular. I don’t remember the first time I saw the cover but I remember being stoked. That was good money right then. Plus the Everslick boards had just come out so it was like perfect timing for Santa Cruz. I was riding for Etnies and had the Natas shoe on. That whole summer of ’91 was probably the best my skating had ever been. I was pro for Santa Cruz and Tom Knox was like my partner in crime through it all. I was living the dream.

That was your second Thrasher cover correct?
Yeah, my first Thrasher cover was shot by Chuck Katz. I’m in a pool doing a tailblock on a Malba board (Jan. 1988 issue —Ed).

Of course, Jesus. So fucking sick. Did you ever go to the actual court at Courthouse?
Not for like a hearing. I remember going there once for a tail light ticket or something and I had to show the cops I fixed my taillight.

Favorite person you saw skate the Courthouse?
Definitely Keenan Milton (RIP). I saw him one day just switch flipping up the stairs at will. He never fell. Just so smooth. Made it look so easy. To me, back then all that switch stuff looked so awkward and gnarly. I could barely switch Ollie (laughs). I thought it was just impossible. But Keenan made it look so graceful.

Do you think Courthouse played a part in skating’s progression?
Absolutely. Yeah, because you could just go there all day long and hang out. Once it became popular all the good guys would go there and just be ripping.

I think you and the ‘80s guys started a lot of it off though. Like you 50-50d that ledge in ’89 and then Tiago (Lemos) nollie crooked grinds the whole thing like 30 years later.
I was just doing the basics (laughs).

Somebody had to start it off.
I’m the guy that front pop shove-its down the stairs (laughs). I’m just kidding.

Chris Swanson was your 151 teammate right?
Yeah, he skated off the roof. We always looked at it. We always wanted to go up there and skate it but never really did anything. I remember hearing that Swanson had tried that and not believing it at first. It’s a big drop.

Chris Swanson roof drop, Listen 1998 by Tim Dowling

Did you ever get a ticket?
I never got a ticket. I knew what times to avoid. I’d never go when the court was open. I’d go at night. It was like a ghost town in there. All lit up.

Did you ever run into the lamps in there?
Never, but I know people that did.

Does it mean something to you that the space is getting saved for a few more years?
Yeah, it means a lot. That space—I just have so many memories there. The city needs a place like that. Not a skatepark but just a proper street skating area with lots of options where you can go at any time. It has some trees and some space. It’s somewhere you can go and see your friends. Skateparks are just extensions of playgrounds. For true street skateboarding, that’s a true street spot. That’s where I feel most free.    

After Dressen, Daniel Castillo was part of the next generation that made Courthouse theirs. He and Shiloh Greathouse unveiled the spot for the modern era to some degree in Love Child (1992). Here were Daniel’s recollections of all the years he has been skating there.

Daniel Castillo Q&A:

ME: How are you man?
DH: Everything’s good. New Year. Yup, 2026. Never thought (laughs). I mean Mouse is officially 30 years old. That’s insane.

West LA Courthouse, let’s dig in to it. Do you remember the first time you went? Was it for skating or did you go maybe as a kid just to the plaza?
The first time I went it was definitely for skating. I had seen the stage in Rubbish Heap (’89). I saw Duc and John Ollie up and melon off the stage in that. That was the first time I saw it in a video.

I had talked to (Jef) Hartsel about it and there’s actually footage in this ’88 Alva Young Gunz video. Jef told me that TA lived a block from it in the mid-80s. They’d hit that marble bank on Sepulveda then Courthouse.
Oh wow. That actually makes sense. With that said, the first times I skated the Courthouse also included that marble bank and hip. I would take the bus there from my house in Culver City. Take the Sepulveda bus and get off on Santa Monica Blvd. You know how you had the stuff you skated before you even got to the spot. That marble bank was that for us. But you would only get like two or three tries then get kicked out. We would skate that and then also across the street, there was this loading dock into grass. We would like try Ollie grabs off that into the grass (laughs) on the way home waiting for the bus.

First time walking into Courthouse?
First time to Courthouse, I had seen Rubbish Heap and I met my friend Dmitri (aka Meter from UCLA), we were skating some school in Westchester and started talking about the video and Duc and John and he’s like, “Yeah, that’s up the street from my house.” Me and my other friends were like “Yeah, right.” We thought he was lying (Laughs). We go there the first time and are just like, “Holy shit! This is the spot.” There was nobody there the first time we went. Maybe one or two things were waxed but just barely. It was super clean and well manicured and it was a live courthouse with lots of business going on.

Did you ever see the fountains full of water? With like the waterfall working?
No. Never. That was already turned off. This would have been 1990.

Dressen has the thrasher cover coming out of the top fountain by ’91.
Yeah, Dressen got that cover. I remember that. Honestly, I might have been there that day. I have these vague memories of it. I remember going into the spot you would always Ollie the four stairs first. That was fun. But during those early sessions too I don’t think we ever got kicked out. I think we started getting kicked out in ’92 or ’93. By then it had sort of become the hangout spot.

Can you break down the day you went to film the Love Child (’92) clips? Did you go with Shiloh (Greathouse)?
By Love Child it was a go-to spot. I can’t remember if I was there the day he took the sign down. We would go there a lot by then. Especially me, because Socrates (Leal) would come down and pick me up after school to go skate and there weren't that many options at that time of day, but Courthouse was always there, along with Douglas Park (aka The Ponds). The most fun I had at the Courthouse was those early days with Meter and just the homies. We would skate Courthouse, take the bus to UCLA, walk around Westwood. It was always a part of our skate day.

I remember by the time I got to UCLA in ’94, I took the bus down and you could only skate after 5:00. I skated a few hours just on the edge of it. I met Meter at UCLA a few weeks in and he told me the deal. He drove me out to Douglas Park and Courthouse in his Civic. I was so stoked.
I remember that after 5:00 era. I really like the night skating times at Courthouse too. It was always so well lit. Around ‘95/’96, filming for Mouse we were there almost every night.

Marko (Jazbinsek) would definitely be there every night training.
(Laughs) Oh dude. Marko held it down there. Just putting in hours on like heelflip noseslides.

The lights were always on. It’s funny I have been collecting Courthouse photos from back in the day and the unifying feature in all of them is those round metal lampshades on the poles. I actually have one of the lampshades here in my office. It was lying in the bushes there during Covid.
I remember those things. People would always run into the lamp poles. Like how (Ronnie) Creager almost hits the one after the four stairs in 20 Shot on his way to doing a trick into the fountain. That was always such a thing.

Any idea what the earliest sessions were there?
I actually recently met one of my wife’s friend’s boyfriends who told me they used to skate there in the mid ‘80s. He was telling me that they would bring launch ramps there and they wouldn’t even touch the benches.

What about the roof of the Stage? Any stories of people skating those banks up there?
I do remember it was like a joke but we would always say that Hosoi had dropped-in and Judo’d off the clamshell (laughs). We would tell people that who had never skated there (laughs). They’d be like, “No way!”

Chris Swanson believed you guys huh?
Dude! I was about to say. I think that’s the only thing that ever went down off it. Actually another guy went off it recently right?

Shawn Hale launched off the side and landed on a banked ramp on a van.
Wow. Yeah, that’s gnarly too. But Swanson straight to flat. That’s nuts.

Dude, I went up to shoot a photo for my Maps thing and right away I got vertigo up there. It’s terrifying. I could barely look over the edge were Chris rolled off.
I think over all these years I only got one ticket there. I remember being there with Tim Gavin one time and he threw his board in the bushes and then walked all the way back to by friend Sam’s house up in Brentwood. It was like a few hours later (laughs). 

It was always the product swap meet too. Like Courthouse Skateshop unofficial. I’d show up with my Euro buddies and Ben Sanchez would pop his trunk and have like 4 used boards to choose from for $5 (laughs).
Man, we would set up shop there (laughs). That was a whole era. We would set up shop at Douglas Park. I would sell tons of product at that Robinsons May spot in Beverly Hills. Kids had money there. That would be one of the first stops when I had a package (laughs).

That was a big extra income right? I remember buying packages from you in the mid to late ‘90s. I would go back to Europe, I remember buying Stamina packages off you. My friend back in France had a skateshop and he would just be like, “Buy anything you can.”
No way.

He would sell the product tax free in his shop in France.
Would you send it to him or fly it back?

I went home in the summers to visit my parents. So I’d always have a fat bag full of new skate product, like Stamina, DVS, World product from Pat Canale who worked at Big Brother, Arcade product.
Already from you mentioning those brands I can tell who sold it to you (laughs).

Pat would get me these rejected printed boards and shirts from Dwindle. It would be like five 101 boards from the Natas series and they would all have like just the black screen or another World graphic under. I also got T-shirts with the ‘Fucked up’ printed on them if they were defects. I sold all that stuff in my friend’s shop. If I had that stuff now it would be worth a fortune. All like 1 of 1.
Damn. I remember those boards with just like one color or all white. You know what’s funny is those Bobshirts with the ‘fucked up’ on them were the ones they gave us (the team) to skate in (laughs). They didn’t trust us not to sell all the product so I think they thought we couldn’t sell these. But I think that’s why there are a lot of those shirts going around now.

And those ones are worth more now.
(Laughs) I know, they ended up being the coolest ones to have.

Do you remember the phases it went through? Like it would usually get to a point where it was a complete bust for a few years, then the heat would die down and it would slowly start building up again.
Yeah, I would say—and keep in mind I’m going off the Girl/Chocolate videos—like when Chris (Roberts) did all those tricks in the Hot Chocolate (’04) video, that was during the bust era. Around that era nobody was even skating the ledges anymore.

They were deemed too low at one point.
That was when skating got really hard (laughs). Everything had to be on a chest high ledge. It was not cool to skate the low benches at Courthouse in the early ‘00s.

Favorite era at Courthouse?
My favorite era at Courthouse was probably the lipslide era. Like 1990-91. We would just Ollie from the beginning and lipslide the hell out of the benches. I loved it. Those benches grinded so good too. Sometimes the ledges would break or crack but early on they grinded and slid perfect. I definitely liked how they felt better then than the new metal ledges.

I’d agree with that.
The vibe was off for a minute after they put in the metal. I didn’t go there for a while.

I think the vibe has gotten cozier again now. When they first added the metal ledges it was still sort of the SLS ledge technician era of the ‘10s. Sort of stark vibes. Now it’s more of a DIY zone with slappy curbs, wallrides, and all types of options. I think skating is in a better place now than it was in ’10.
That was kind of a harsh period. I like all the DIY stuff there now and skating feels more fun again.

I saw you have been skating Civic Center in Santa Monica a bunch lately.
I was actually gonna go there today but the people I was going with flaked. You’ve been killing Stoner though. When is your board coming out?

(Laughs) Would you say you first went in 1990 and it was a place of business for you—either to skate and get coverage or sell product from like ’90 through present day? It has been relevant to your life for like 30 years. 
Pretty much. When I first started going it was always on weekends. Weekdays probably didn’t start until I was sponsored. I’m just glad I never got busted there.

Do you think there is energy and value to spaces like the Courthouse?
Totally. The history—I mean that place saw skateboarding go from like Duc and John Ollieing up the Stage to like Kelly Hart fakie 360 flip fakie mannying it. It’s bananas. I remember seeing Luan Oliveira there one day and he half cab flipped up the Stage like just warming up and in my head I was like “Wow.” I think he was getting ready to try it to nose wheelie but even just doing that up every try blew my mind. It’s just crazy to chart the progression at Courthouse. All the stuff Shmatty (Matt Chaffin) did—nollie inward heel nose wheelie nollie tre.

Do you have a favorite manny clip on the Stage?
I like all the shit that Stevie (Williams) did there. Nick Tucker, backside flip fakie manny. That’s fucked up. Everything Shmatty did on there. Obviously Chris (Roberts) is my boy.

He’s blown it up himself so much (switch flip manny) that it’s hard to give any more love (laughs).
(Laughs) But honestly I’m a fan of all the ledge tricks on it back in my era. I remember this James Craig frontside bluntslide on there for some reason. All of Gabriel’s tricks. The tailslide over the ladder on the high side, the fakie 5-0 and fakie crooks. I remember seeing Keenan trying switch flip back tails on the stage. It looked so good even just trying it. I don’t think he ever made it but it was still so beautiful. Chris (Roberts) pop-shove nosegrinded it at one point. I thought that was crazy at the time. I don’t even think it was in one of his parts. Maybe like a Logic or Fuel TV segment. I remember seeing him do that over and over. I couldn’t believe it.

Nosegrind on the long ledge is still super gnarly. Like 20 years later Tiago has nollie crooked it. But nosegrind still holds up.
Insane. Honestly even the 5-0 is low key gnarly too. Chris was one of the only people who could sit on balanced frontside 5-0s like that. You know what was gnarly that sticks in my mind too. Anthony Ogelsby kickfliped from the top fountain to the lower fountain. I think it might have been a Big Brother sequence. But that was gnarly for the time.

Creager has the line where he backside flips out to the side, then switch back heels into the lower fountain. But going from the top into the bottom fountain is high. 
Another funny one to me at least—when that 9Club Invitational went down last year, Yuri (Facchini) 180 nosegrinded the whole fountain ledge. I used to love 180 nosegrinds (laughs). Whenever I would get to Courthouse back in the day I would always pretend, like walking in and down the stairs—I would put my board up there with my hands and do a 180 nosegrind motion across it. Like, “Imagine if somebody did this along the whole thing!?” It was pretty cool to see someone do just that like 30 years later (laughs).

You saw the future.
(Laughs) Yeah, the Courthouse was definitely like a gnarly skate hub for decades. You had your spots to eat right there on Santa Monica Blvd. Then even for me when we would skate there at night, a lot of my friends worked at the Nuart Theater next door so we were always watching movies after we skated or just hanging out in that zone. I was always there.

The Nuart is still there somehow.
I know. Do they still do The Rocky Horror Picture Show late nights and all that?

Yeah, I think it still goes off. I remember reading that Jean-Michel Basquiat loved the Nuart and would kick it there late nights when he was in LA.
That’s rad. I was thinking too about how we would always try to kick it on the stairs at Courthouse and try to get background props (laughs).

I always loved the vibe. I think early on I saw Richard Mulder’s 411Wheels of Fortune or something.
Dude, when he gets chased by that homeless dude?

Exactly! I was just like “What is that place!?” It seemed insane. Like the best skating in the world and then these crazy people chasing each other (laughs).
You had to get there?

Somehow it seemed rad. And you guys would kick it on those stairs looking all cool.
You know how you could park right in the lot by the out ledge, it was always cool to see people show up for the first time and just fan out on the space.

That parking lot was such a scene. I’d park my Honda CRX in there and you could hit up other cars and buy product from the trunks, or maybe there would be like a famous pro lacing up his shoes or setting up a board.
All types of lowered Civics (laughs). Thanks for including me Mackenzie.

Thanks for including me in the Courthouse family all these years Daniel.
Oh man, come on dude. We all lived it. It’s all love. 

To end it—here is the official page on the Courthouse from the LA Conservancy site. Check the last two lines. We are officially a part of the story.

From LA Conservancy:
(Read this in your best Ted Barrow voice.)

West Los Angeles Courthouse

The West Los Angeles Civic Center is an identified historic district, noting westward expansion of Los Angeles government Mid-Century Modern architecture.

Constructed by Architect Albert Criz in 1956 in the Mid-Century Modern style, the West Los Angeles Courthouse is a contributor to the SurveyLA identified West Los Angeles Civic Center Historic District. The Civic Center is representative of the Los Angeles’s 1949 Master Plan of Branch Administrative Centers.

Built between 1957-1960, the West L.A. Civic Center includes a branch City Hall, community center, and amphitheater designed by Criz. The regional branch library on the northeast corner of the Civic Center is the first building completed in the historic district and designed by Allison & Rible.

With its emphasis on horizontality, the Courthouse building is an excellent and intact example of the Mid Century Modern style. It features three a central volume with two single-story wings. Leading to the main entry, a set of low steps rises to the large expanses of glass on the primary façade. Spanning the primary façade, concrete grills, and geometric metal brise soleils add decorative features to the austere building.

In the mid-1990s, the Courthouse steps, fountain, and Civic Center courtyard became an important site for the advancement of skateboarding in Los Angeles.

COME SKATE THE COURTHOUSE ON FEB. 7, 2026 11-2PM

RIP Robbie McKinley, Keenan Milton, Chris Casey, Gabriel Rodriguez and all the other departed brothers and sisters.