Thursday, March 29, 2012
News (Re)Opening Day Set for McCarren Pool
Posted by Henry Stewart on Thu, Mar 29, 2012 at 8:57 AM
Ten WPA pools were renovated in the 1980s, but not McCarren. According to parks:
The pool was closed in 1984 after the facility, suffering from vandalism and an alleged drug haven, became too dilapidated. $6.5 million in funding to renovate the facility was included in the 1984-85 budget, but plans stalled after neighbors successfully stopped the project, worried that illicit activity would return.A plan in the late 1980s to reduce the size of the pool to accommodate 2,000 bathers and create a recreation center faltered when preservationists clashed with supporters of the compromise scenario.
It wasn't until 2005 that Live Nation invested in the space, transforming it into a beloved concert venue; Sonic Youth headlined the final show in August 2008. Bloomberg had allocated $50 million for its transformation back into a pool; it has been under renovation ever since.
On Thursday, June 28, at 11 am, the pool will finally reopen as an actual pool, Flavorpill reports. It will be able to accommodate 1,500 swimmers, far below 1936 levels; but as a bonus, in the winter, it will be become an ice-skating rink.
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