Love Park – The Leica Camera Blog

Having discovered photography through his passion for skateboarding, Jonathan Rentschler picked up an analog Leica M6 and began documenting the diverse yet tight-knit community of Philadelphia’s LOVE park. Also known as John F. Kennedy Plaza, LOVE park was located in the center of Philadelphia and although it was not designed for skateboarding, the plaza was host to a wave of skateboarders, who first discovered its granite expanses as early as the 1980s. Today, LOVE Park is remembered as one of the foremost landmarks of street skateboarding. Having skated LOVE from the age of 13, Jonathan had developed a close bond to the park and the friends he had made there. The following series documents the community of skaters, their interactions with the city police and ultimately the demise of this inner-city haven.