A Walk in the Park: McCarren Park Recreation Center

Cerulean blue has been applied to the pool's floor. (Photos: Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times)

Brooklyn

By Geoffrey Croft

The long anticipated reopening of the McCarren Park Pool is set for June 28. $50 million dollars has been spent to renovate the pool and year-round recreation center, as well as to preserve and restore the historic bathhouse building and entry arch. The new pool will accommodate 1,500 swimmers, a decrease of 700. The pool was closed in 1983 and became one of the Parks Department's most public symbols of neglect. The city began renovating the pool in 2009.

Aerial shot of the McCarren Park pool.

The $50 million facility boasts a 37,9500-square-foot pool, which will accommodate 1,500 swimmers and eight 25-meter lap lanes; a beach; spray showers; and a restored year-round recreation center with a gym, basketball court, weight room, dance studio, cardio room, and multipurpose community space. Wood panels recycled from the Coney Island boardwalk are among the decorative features.

Restored basketball court.

The historic pool in McCarren Park (formerly Greenpoint Park) is on the border between Williamsburg and Greenpoint in Brooklyn. It first opened on July 31, 1936, with great fanfare. During the inaugural ceremonies, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia claimed, "No pool anywhere has been as much appreciated as this one."

It was one of 11 giant pools opened in consecutive weeks during the summer of 1936. It was constructed by Parks Commissioner Robert Moses under the Works Progress Administration.

The benches are made of reclaimed wood from the Coney Island Boardwalk.

Applying Cerulean blue.

(Photos: Fred R. Conrad/The New York Times)

New York Times - May 26, 2012 - Lisa Foderaro

McCarren Park Pool Set To Reopen June 28th

March 27, 2012

Testing The Water. The long anticipated reopening of the McCarren Park Pool is set for June 28. $50 million dollars has been spent to renovate the pool and year-round recreation center, as well as to preserve and restore the historic bathhouse building and entry arch. The new pool will accommodate 1,500 swimmers, a decrease of 700. The pool was closed in 1983 and became one of the Parks Department's most public symbols of neglect. The city began renovating the pool in 2009. The pool was filled with water last week to run various tests. (Photos: © Geoffrey Croft/NYC Park Advocates)

By yesterday most of the water had drained.

Brooklyn

By Geoffrey Croft

The mighty McCarren Park Pool - shuttered for almost thirty years - is set to reopen on June 28th, city officials confirmed.

Opening ceremonies are scheduled for 11:00am that day.

The city hopes to have a "soft opening" of at least one section of the recreation center by Memorial Day according to several city sources.

Water's edge. A large ramp on one side will lead swimmers into the pool. To the right will be the beach pool deck which will be converted into an ice rink during the winter.

A beach volleyball court - under construction (right) - is replacing the once-glorious diving pool. The diving pool was filled in with sand, and concert merchandize was sold on top of it. Expensive condos - many featuring floor-to-ceiling windows - have risen along the streets around the pool in the background.

Gymnasium being restored. The original indoor recreation center often hosted boxing matches. (Photo: DPR)

The pool has been reduced significantly from four Olympic-sized swimming pools to two. Originally it was 54,440 square feet and accommodated 2,200 swimmers. The once-glorious diving pool has been replaced by a beach volleyball court.

When asked last week if the McCarren Park Pool would be excluded from the pools the administration wants to close two weeks early due to budget cuts, Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe paused and chose his words carefully, "That's a safe bet."

The historic pool in McCarren Park (formerly Greenpoint Park) is on the border between Williamsburg and Greenpoint in Brooklyn. It first opened on July 31, 1936, with great fanfare. During the inaugural ceremonies, Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia claimed, "No pool anywhere has been as much appreciated as this one."

It was one of 11 giant pools opened in consecutive weeks during the summer of 1936. It was constructed by Parks Commissioner Robert Moses under the Works Progress Administration.

View from Lorimer St. complete with trolly cars. (left)

McCarren Park Pool - 1937. During the off-season the original pool floor was used for a host of other activities including volleyball. (Photo: Courtesy of the NYC Parks Department)

Four-year-old Ola gets a peek of the soon-to-be-reopened McCarren Park Pool on Friday.

The pool was closed in 1983 and became one of New York's most public symbols of municipal neglect. The once-grand facility was abandoned and used as a shooting gallery for drug users and for the homeless.

The lack of maintenance, proper security, and political will turned the pool into a battleground that mirrored the city's racial divide. For years activists worked tirelessly to reopen the pool, while some residents worked against them, saying they didn't want "outsiders" (i.e., people of color) flooding the neighborhood.

Over the years, many plans were floated, and funds were even allocated, but in the end the pool remained closed. Recent years brought luxury apartment buildings, and as the area became more gentrified, many said it was only a matter of time before the city would finally restore the pool. In 2005 the abandoned pool hosted a modern-dance performance and then a series of free concerts and other events over the next few years.

"There's been a demand for a pool, but we're not doing this just because people are moving to Williamsburg," said then Brooklyn Parks Commissioner Julius Spiegel in 2008. "This also ends a huge civic embarrassment. It's been derelict for 24 years now."

While the pool's re-opening is good news, New York City ranks dead last in the nation for the per-capita provision of public swimming pools.

On a recent afternoon in McCarren Park, Sarah Griffiths, 34, said she's looking forward to taking her three children to the pool. "Everyone in the neighborhood is talking about it."

Raised in Manhattan, Griffiths has lived in Brooklyn since 1996. "It will be great for the kids to have something to do for the summer."

Jaime Lindahl, 33 said she was excited about the upcoming pool opening

"I can't wait to bring her to the pool to wear her out," she said smiling as she pushed a stroller with her two-year-old daughter along Lorimer St. in front of the pool's iconic entrance.

They occasionally use the indoor pool at the Metropolitan Recreation Center on Bedford Avenue, but she said nothing beats a swim in the sunshine.

Stephane Alex, 45, has lived in the area for 15 years. "There's going to be a lot of people using it," he said while watching his three-year-old daughter, Nico, in the playground. "I hope they take care of it."

The park still lacks maintenance, he noted, and the playground equipment could use an upgrade. The children's spray shower regularly get clogged, turning them into cesspool each summer. He hoped the park's resources weren't all going into the pool while other areas were ignored.

Jamie Toll, 37, who manages a nearby bar, linked the pool's reopening to the changing neighborhood.

"The park has come a long way, but it has a long way to go," he said while watching his 3-year-old daughter Paloma in the playground.

"It's great that they renovated it. It's going to be very busy. It was an amazing concert space, but now that I have a child, I prefer a pool."

The facade of the iconic entry arch along Lorimer St. has been cleaned of graffiti and paint, and its windows have been restored. Entry ramps complying with ADA have been installed on both sides. The building’s vast scale and dramatic arches were designed by Aymar Embury II. In 2007 the Landmarks Preservation Commission granted landmark status to the facility.

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Monument to Shame. The massive pool complex and year-round facilities were designed to provide recreation, generate employment, and get people's minds off the economy. For decades the City allowed the historic McCarren Park Pool to deteriorate. The pool became a symbol of radical divide. New York City ranks dead last in the provision of public swimming pools for a high density city. (Photo: Maisel/NY Daily News. Below: Forgotten NY )

Ice Rink

The City is requiring the Rink be open for a minimum of only four hours per day for general session public skating.

Meanwhile plans for a seasonal ice rink are moving along.

On February 1, the Parks Department released an RFP to operate an ice rink on the McCarren Park beach pool deck for twelve years. The rink would be open this season and run from Oct. 15, 2012, to March 30, 2013.

The city is encouraging operators to make the rink as large as possible — up to 80-by-125 feet.

The concession may also include a pro shop and up to three mobile food carts.

The City is requiring the Rink be open for a minimum of only four hours per day for general session public skating, although they will view favorably proposals that include more hours. The concessionaire would also be required to provide a minimum of six hours per week of free youth initiation clinics and programs.

A selection of rink fees from other facilities were included. Weekend rates for adults ranged from $ 5.00 at Flushing Meadow Corona Park in Queens to $ 16.00 at Wollman Rink in Central Park.

Last month the agency had a walk-though for positional operators. Proposals were due on March 15th but that date has been extened to March 29th.

"We've had quite a few people who have expressed interest, " a park source familiar with the project said.

Ice skating first came to the park in 1910 in a field across from the pool according to the DPR website. This will be the first time however that ice skating will be held inside the park according to the RFP.