Before the fences went up in December, you could stand at the corner of Pennsylvania Ave. NW and 13th Street NW on any given afternoon and watch skateboards clattering off the granite ledges of Freedom Plaza. A teen would launch off a set of stairs, hang in the air a half-second longer than physics seemed to allow, and land cleanly.
To the skating world, this was hallowed ground, known as “Pulaski Park” after the statue of Brigadier General Casimir Pulaski anchoring its east end. Thrasher magazine, the sport’s bible, devoted a documentary to the plaza’s history, and skate legends like Darren Harper have made their names on its marble.
But the plaza closed for construction in December, and metal fixtures have since been bolted onto the ledges, rails, and fountain encasements to prevent grinding. Around the same time, fences went up around two other popular skate spots: the long-empty fountains at Malcolm X Park and an underpass in Navy Yard on Half Street SE…