Steve Rodriguez

Photographs: David Rosenzweig

Most people still think of skateboarding as the pastime of rebellious adolescents. But what if one of those teens grew up to run his own company, foster younger generations and work on city projects—all while jetting around on his board? Meet Steve Rodriguez, a legendary street skateboarder, community activist and the owner of 5Boro, a back-to-basics skateboard company that gets to the core of authentic East Coast style. Rodriguez was born in Sayreville, New Jersey, and first stepped on a board in his basement as a 12-year-old. “The first time I skated was actually on my sister’s skateboard. I saw it in the basement, and I tried to ride it down there. I remember holding onto a pole and pushing off to try to get to the next pole.”

This moment of cautious curiosity quickly evolved into full-blown obsession. Rodriguez took a weekend job at a Manhattan dry-cleaning shop managed by his mother and used a skateboard for deliveries—the perfect opportunity to explore side streets and get involved in the burgeoning skate scene. In 1985, Rodriguez began to frequent the aptly named Bird Shit Banks on Bleecker Street, Washington Square Park and Soho Skates, a pivotal Greenwich Village store. He quickly moved from the sidewalks to the streets, feeding off the intensity of erratic traffic, potholes and the joy of piggybacking on cars, hopping curbs and executing perfect wall rides.

Rodriguez relentlessly skated every downtown nook and cranny he could find for the next decade. He gained renown for his wild style, frequently won competitions and, as a result, racked up sponsorships with companies such as Screw Skateboards and Volcom in the early 1990s. By 1996, the downtown streets had become Rodriguez’s de facto work space, and he decided to take things to the next level by starting 5Boro. “At the time, it was a turning point in skateboarding for me,” says Rodriguez. “I wanted to be more than just a skateboarder. 5Boro began as a collective that wanted to form a company with a new style. It ended up being something pure.”

5Boro is primarily known for its line of original skateboard decks and clothing that reference a diverse lineage of New York style. In a recent series of boards entitled “Stick Up,” various decks depict miniature skaters robbing a cop, Mafia member, prostitute, pimp and pawnshop owner with classic early-’80s graffiti panache. Past 5Boro shirts are influenced by everything from Latin folk art and minimalism to Brooklyn Dodgers uniforms.

By the end of the decade, riders sponsored by 5Boro had earned the respect of the local skate community by winning contests and dropping jaws at demonstrations all over the city. Rodriguez also began working with artists to bring skating to a new audience. One collaboration with local artist Maura Sheehan found Rodriguez skating a giant half-pipe ramp constructed inside one of the bases of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Finally in 2004, after years of street skating and company building, Rodriguez discovered yet another calling: community outreach. His new passion was ignited one afternoon when he ventured down to the Brooklyn Banks, a much-loved dilapidated wasteland under the Manhattan side of the Brooklyn Bridge, and discovered that his favorite skate area for nearly two decades was slated for demolition. “When I saw the Banks fenced off, I was like, Whoa,” he remembers. “I’d seen smaller [skate] spots disappear and accepted it. But this is a huge spot that’s so iconic. That was the setting-off point to try to make something happen.”

After months of campaigning, tireless community outreach and multiple meetings with the Parks Department, Rodriguez convinced the city to save the Brooklyn Banks in 2005. It was an arduous process, but his unwavering commitment to the project resulted in a cleaned-up, legal park. “Working with the city, you see that you can really make a difference if you take the time to figure out how to do something right,” he notes. “About 30 percent of our time at 5Boro is spent trying to do stuff for the community.”

Rodriguez’s persistence and new connections led to further outreach. He has since had many successes turning existing property into safe parks that avoid the boring, cookie-cutter look of skate spots built without skater input.

And what about the future? Rodriguez is cofounding a new nonprofit venture called the New York City Skateboarding Association (NYCSA). Their goal is to offer free consulting, construction and cleanup in order to create and maintain natural skating spots. June 5 marks the 13th-anniversary celebration of 5Boro, and is followed the next afternoon by the annual Back to the Banks skate competition. Not what you’d expect from a skater, huh?

Steve Rodriguez’s top five skate spots in New York City

1 The streets
2 The Brooklyn Banks (underneath the Brooklyn Bridge on the Manhattan side)
3 12th Street between Avenue A and First Avenue
4 The Autumn Bowl (legendary indoor spot in Greenpoint, Brooklyn)
5 Flushing Meadow Park (classic Queens spot with a Unisphere fountain)

Rodriguez's career timeline

1971 Born in New Jersey
1983 Starts skating in the suburbs
1985 Starts seriously skating in the NYC streets
1993 Moves into the same building that formerly housed the dry-cleaning business his mother once managed
1996 Forms 5Boro
2004 Collaborates to make a limited-edition deck in celebration of the Beastie Boys’ To the 5 Boroughs record
2005 Saves the Brooklyn Banks
2009 Helps found the New York City Skateboarding Association

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