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Abstract
Do-It-Yourself (DIY) skateparks are made by skaters, for skaters. This vernacular phenomenon began to flourish in the nineties despite the availability of commercially designed public skateparks, exemplifying both the demand for skateparks in underserved regions as well as symbolizing skating’s renegade legacy. Due to a variety of factors, DIY skateparks are often threatened with demolition and thus, there is an urgency to understand these sites. This thesis will focus primarily on case studies in the southeast United States that make use of defunct architecture: Hotel Nahunta near Waycross, Georgia and Poe Mill DIY in Greenville, South Carolina. Other sites will also be emphasized. Ultimately, this thesis seeks to highlight the value of these spaces within the history of skateboarding and the history of communities. The medium of DIY fosters a culture of self-reliance and self-improvement that has been with skateboarding from its origin and is evident in these spaces where architectural salvage becomes a creative renegotiation of space.