Today is the last day to submit comments to LPC regarding the proposed landmark designation of the McCarren Park Play Center (aka, our Pool). If you have not testified or sent in written testimony yet, you can email your comments to LPC here.
Photo by: Zach K
The New York Times reported today that the Mayor's vision for 2030 includes plans for the restoration of the McCarren Park Recreation Center. Luckily, we don't have wait that long - in fact, we might be swimming in a few short years.
What the Times did not catch is that Mayor's FY2008 (begins July, 2007) budget includes $3.85 million for planning and design development. In addition, the City has promised $46.2 million in FY2010 (begins July, 2009) for the restoration of the pool. That means that honest-to-goodness planning could start as soon as this July, and that the construction budget would be part of Bloomberg's last budget.
Word from Community Board #1's District Manager Gerry Esposito is that the plan the City is working on is to rebuild the pool as an Olympic-sized pool. We'll reserve judgement on the plan itself until we see the details, and for now applaud the fact that the McCarren Pool might soon have water.
Photo: Gowanus Lounge.
Next Wednesday, there is an important community design charette for McCarren Park Pool. This is your opportunity to sit down with your neighbors and give your input to what the future McCarren Park Pool should be. The architect for the redesign will be chosen in the coming days and will be on hand for the charette. This is open to the public.
Community Board #1, The Open Space Alliance (OSA), and Parks & Recreation invite you to an open public design and planning charette for McCarren Park Pool improvements:
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2007
5:00 PM & 7:00 PM (two sessions)
SWINGING 60'S SENIOR CITIZEN CENTER
211 AINSLIE STREET
(Corner of Manhattan Avenue)
Rather than simply responding to a design proposal, we invite you to participate in creating the design.
Parks will give a summary of the schedule for the project, and discuss budget considerations. Audience participants will break into small groups, with each table hosted by two facilitators that are architectural professionals for assistance. Each table will have a large scale plan of the pool area, templates of an Olympic size pool, a multi-purpose building, tracing paper, markers, etc.
The charge for the evening will simply be that the designs must:
1) Provide swimming
2) Provide year-round use
3) Preserve and reuse the existing buildings
Other than that, everyone is free to dream (within budget constraints). Each table has 30 minutes to sketch and discuss --- then each table will be given 5 minutes to present their ideas to the room. The recommendations will be synthesized by the project architects and presented at a follow-up community meeting.
We look forward to your ideas on improving McCarren Park Pool for future generations.
P.S. Should the number of attendees exceed the legal capacity of the room, provisions will be made for an additional workshop.
NYC Parks will present their proposal for the redesigned McCarren Park Pool on Wednesday, 13 June at the Swinging Sixties Senior Center, 211 Ainslie Street (corner of Manhattan Avenue). There will be two sessions, one at 5:00 p.m. and one at 7:00 p.m.
Sponsored by Community Board #1 and NYC Parks Department.
Photo: Gowanus Lounge.
Next Wednesday, there is an important community design charette for McCarren Park Pool. This is your opportunity to sit down with your neighbors and give your input to what the future McCarren Park Pool should be. The architect for the redesign will be chosen in the coming days and will be on hand for the charette. This is open to the public.
Community Board #1, The Open Space Alliance (OSA), and Parks & Recreation invite you to an open public design and planning charette for McCarren Park Pool improvements:
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2007
5:00 PM & 7:00 PM (two sessions)
SWINGING 60'S SENIOR CITIZEN CENTER
211 AINSLIE STREET
(Corner of Manhattan Avenue)
Rather than simply responding to a design proposal, we invite you to participate in creating the design.
Parks will give a summary of the schedule for the project, and discuss budget considerations. Audience participants will break into small groups, with each table hosted by two facilitators that are architectural professionals for assistance. Each table will have a large scale plan of the pool area, templates of an Olympic size pool, a multi-purpose building, tracing paper, markers, etc.
The charge for the evening will simply be that the designs must:
1) Provide swimming
2) Provide year-round use
3) Preserve and reuse the existing buildings
Other than that, everyone is free to dream (within budget constraints). Each table has 30 minutes to sketch and discuss --- then each table will be given 5 minutes to present their ideas to the room. The recommendations will be synthesized by the project architects and presented at a follow-up community meeting.
We look forward to your ideas on improving McCarren Park Pool for future generations.
P.S. Should the number of attendees exceed the legal capacity of the room, provisions will be made for an additional workshop.
Two nights ago, the Department of Parks held a community design charette for the McCarren Pool that was attended by hundreds of local residents. Some things were very clear - the community wants a pool; it wants entertainment; it wants year-round uses; and, it wants a bigger and better skateboard park.
But hidden amongst everything else was this piece of news: the Parkies are saying that McCarren will officially become a NYC Landmark this summer, probably in July!
In addition to the preliminary designation hearing for the Eberhard Faber Historic District, the newly-revised Landmarks Calendar for next Tuesday includes the final (we hope) designation of a number of pools - including the McCarren Park Play Center (aka, the McCarren Pool)!
In addition to McCarren, LPC will be designating the Sunset Park Play Center (interior and exterior) and the Thomas Jefferson Play Center in Manhattan.
But wait, there's more! LPC will also be holding a calendaring hearing for the proposed DUMBO Historic District. This first step in the process of creating a new historic district in DUMBO is long, long overdue.
Austin, Nichols & Co. Warehouse
Designated by LPC, 2005
With the designation of the Domino Sugar Refinery Processing House, the Landmarks Commission has proven once again that it gets industrial heritage. Sure, they could have gotten a lot more, but its worth highlighting the fact that this is the fourth major industrial site in North Brooklyn to be designated in the past few years. And to the great chagrin of the beauty pageant promoters who believe that landmarking is only about "pretty" buildings, not all of these buildings are pretty. But they are all significant, locally and to the city (some are nationally significant).
Here's the rundown:
1. Hecla Ironworks administration building [pdf link] (designated 2004)Add to that the recent calendaring of DUMBO, and LPC Chair Robert Tierney is right to tout his commission's role in designating industrial properties. There may be other Hecla, Domino and Eberhard buildings that are not landmarks and should be, but lets give credit where its due.
Landmarks has also been busy with some of North Brooklyn's non-industrial sites of late. Witness the designation of the Williamsburg Houses (2003), the original Smith-Gray Building [pdf link] (2005), and the McCarren Park Pool (2007).
And lest Mr. Tierney rest on his laurels, we will point out that there are a lot more highly significant (dare we say beautiful) industrial buildings out there to designate. Not to mention a host of other buildings in our (until recently) neglected corner of Brooklyn. And Williamsburg is still without a single historic district (hopefully not for long).
From our colleagues at the Open Space Alliance:
The NYC Dept. of Parks & Recreation and architects Rogers & Marvel will be publicly sharing plans for McCarren Park Pool at the Parks Committee meeting of the Community Board:
Monday, February 4th
6:30 PM
Our Lady of the Snow Society 410 Graham Ave. (btwn Withers & Jackson Sts.) BrooklynThere will be a second presentation to the full Community Board and we encourage your feedback:
Wednesday, February 13th
6:30 PM
Swinging Sixties Seniors Center
211 Ainslie Avenue (btwn Graham & Manhattan) BrooklynThe Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn (OSA) is grateful for Mayor Bloomberg’s $50 million allocation to fund long held community goals expressed by Community Board #1 for the renovation of the McCarren Park Pool. These goals include:
- renovating McCarren Park Pool for swimming,
- creating a year-round recreation center, and
- preserving and restoring the historic bathhouse building and entry arch.
The NYC Department of Parks & Recreation, with the assistance of Community Board 1, and OSA hosted two local design charrettes to obtain additional information about the community’s programming and design requests, and balanced against budget considerations. Several hundred people attended these sessions and their comments were incorporated into the creation of a survey prepared and conducted by Partnership for Parks.
[...]
The survey results show strong support for re-opening the pool for swimming and also, within certain demographics, for the concert and film programming that has been provided at the pool on an interim basis. The Parks Dept. and OSA value the cultural contribution provided by the film, dance and concert performances. We are also sensitive to the related noise complaints from neighboring residences, and we are seeking an accommodation for both perspectives. We are thoroughly examining all possible options, both temporary and permanent, to provide an appropriate location within the neighborhood for large-scale performances for 2009 and beyond.
In the meantime, pool construction will be bid out, and will start in late 2008. McCarren Park Pool will continue to be used as a performance venue during the summer of 2008. In addition to the concerts of the past years, OSA would like to encourage greater diversity of programming for the coming 2008 summer...
The complete survey results can be reviewed here: http://www.openspaceallianceNB.org
Look forward to swimming and splashing in the Pool with you in 2011!
(Monday's meeting conflicts with WGPA's monthly meeting, but happily there will be a second presentation on the 13th. This project will also require Landmarks approval, so there will be a public hearing at a later date.)
A reminder that Architects Rogers Marvel and The Parks Dept. will present conceptual plans for McCarren Park Pool for public comment at the upcoming Community Board meeting:
Wednesday, February 13
6:30 pm
Swinging Sixties Seniors Center
211 Ainslie St. (corner of Manhattan Ave.)
Brooklyn
This is an informational presentation. Once the design is finalized, there will be a formal community review. For more information, visit the Open Space Alliance for North Brooklyn.
McCarren Park Pool in Summer (proposed)
Curbed has managed to find actual images from last night's McCarren Pool presentation by architects Rogers Marvel (as opposed to the cell phone photos of a powerpoint presentation that we were about to post).
The proposal at this point is still conceptual, but the concepts look very good. Of course the pool will once again be a pool, albeit a slightly smaller one. The large platform projecting into the pool basin is a 17,000 square foot "beach" that would double as an ice rink in the summer. The pool area to the east (left in photo) would be for lap swimming, and to the north would be "fun" swimming. To the west would be a ramped ("zero edge") swimming area to accommodate wheelchairs and also serve as a wading area for kids. The semicircular pool to the east of the main basin is the revamped diving pool.
The pool house itself would be converted to a fitness center and rec center, while showers and changing rooms would be in the new pavilions to the north of the pool house. A restaurant/concession of some sort would operate on the roof of the pool house.
And, of course, the entire complex will be restored. The Parks Department is genuinely excited about making McCarren the jewel in the crown, which (together with the $50 million already set aside for the project) bodes well for the completion and the ongoing operation.
Missing from the pool program is public event space, which people at the design charrettes and in online surveys asked for. Parks is saying that the pool might be used for public events in the Spring and Autumn, between pool time (June, July & August) and ice skating time. Parks is also looking at including venue space at the new Bushwick inlet park or elsewhere in McCarren. But after this year, there's no guarantees.
We look forward to seeing more details on the design as they emerge.
Roger Lang died last Monday after a brief bout with lung cancer. Roger was the Director of Community Programs and Services at the New York Landmarks Conservancy, which really meant that he was the voice and public conscience for the group. Roger was also an ardent supporter of many of our neighborhood preservation causes, most importantly the restoration and reopening of McCarren Park Pool (an issue I first heard him speak about 15 years ago). The pool is finally being restored, though Roger will not see it. He was also instrumental in the designation of the Austin, Nichols & Company Warehouse.
In other words, he was a good friend of our good causes. And a good friend.
Photo: Zach K
On Tuesday, 9 September, the Landmarks Preservation Commission will be holding a public hearing on the plans to renovate the McCarren Park pool. Until then, here is some recent background on the pool, the closing and the plans to reopen it, courtesy of the Brooklyn Rail.
The Landmarks Commission will hold a hearing on the Parks Department's plans for the rehabilitation of the McCarren Park Pool today (early after. WPA supports the plans, which will return the pool to a pool use and will bring a year-round use to the pool. The proposed rehabilitation includes the reopening of the diving pool at the east end of the site, and the construction of new pavilions on the pool deck in front of the shower wings. And, of course, the plan includes significant amounts of restoration for the pool structures themselves. All in all, this plan is a major victory for the Williamsburg community, and we hope it gets built as soon as possible.
The hearing will be held at the Landmarks Preservation Commission, 1 Centre Street, 9th Floor North, Manhattan. The hearing is scheduled for 3:30.
At its public hearing yesterday, the Landmarks Commission unanimously approved the redesign for McCarren.
Now let's get building.
Via Brownstoner, evidence of actual work at McCarren Park Pool!
Last night's CB1 Parks/Landmarks Committee meeting to discuss the McCarren Pool renovations was cancelled. Instead, Parks and the project architect will make a presentation before the full CB1 Board next Tuesday (10 February) at 6:30 p.m. The meeting will be at the usual location, the Swingin' 60s Senior Center, 211 Ainslie Street (corner of Manhattan Ave.). As always, sign up before 6:15 if you want to speak.
Proposed Design for New Cabanas
Photo: Rogers Marvel Architects via Gowanus Lounge
The Parks Department was at CB1 last night with an update on the McCarren Pool renovation. The good news is that the funding (all $50 million) has not been cut. The bad news is that $50 million does not buy what it bought three years ago. As a result, the diving pool has been value engineered out of the project. In its place, there will be a beach volleyball court. The potential silver lining is that the diving pool could be done in the future, and the infrastructure (piping, mainly) will be run now to help make that happen.
But the real silver lining is that larger project is going forward, and is still on course for a 2010 opening.
Gowanus Lounge has all the photos, and a lengthy report from Mikki Halpin of Pool Aid (and WPA).
