- The north end of Central Park in New York City will undergo a complete transformation as part of a $150 million project that will introduce a new outdoor pool and a revitalized agricultural landscape.
- The Central Park Conservancy announced this week that not only a pool but also an outdoor patio, new locker rooms, and splash pads are included in the new redesign of the park.
- The new recreational facilities will be integrated seamlessly into the landscape around the Harlem Meer and the Lasker Rink.
- The money for the project, which will be completed in 2024, will come from the city of New York and from donations collected by the park administration
- Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.
New York's Central Park will receive a new outdoor pool and rink as part of a $150 million restoration project, the park administration announced this week.
The new recreational facility will integrate seamlessly into the landscape around the Harlem Meer and the Lasker Rink at the north end of the park. The project will also improve the ecology of the landscape and restore the long-neglected connections to one of the most picturesque areas of the park. The aging swimming pool and ice rink will also be completely replaced.
The project, led by the private and non-profit organization Central Park Conservancy, is the culmination of a decade-long restoration of the north end of the park. The design team is led by landscape architect Christopher J. Nolan.
The Lasker Rink was built in 1966 and forms a massive concrete barrier between the Harlem Meer in the north and the picturesque ravine to the south. This barrier will be removed so that the water running through the ravine can flow into the Meer in the future, instead of going into a drainage channel, which it is currently doing. The path next to the watercourse will also be renovated.
The pool, which will be shaped like an elongated oval, will be surrounded by a landscaped berm and splash pads. Alongside it, a new patio area that is comprised of large floor-to-ceiling doors will be built. It is meant as a gathering space and can even be opened up to create a shaded area.
Amenities include changing rooms and toilets that will also be built into a slope and will have a green roof — it will be integrated into the landscape in such a way that walking paths lead over it. Just like the previous model, the pool will turn into an ice rink during the winter.
Above, what the site looks like now and, below, how it will appear once completed in five years' time.
The money for the project, which will be completed in 2024, will come from the city of New York and from donations collected by the park administration. More than $1 billion has already been invested in the park since the park supervision was established in 1980.
Read more:You can figure out exactly where you are in Central Park by using this simple trick
So far, the northern end of Central Park has not received as much attention as the south — a popular area that is featured in many films and series and to which an expensive residential area is attached.
More than 40 million people come to Central Park every year, but only about 2.5 million people visit the north end. Almost 220,000 people have visited the outdoor swimming pool there every year, which, like all of New York outdoor swimming pools, is free.
Thomas L. Kempner Jr., the Chairman of the Central Park Conservancy Board of Trustees, said: "We are proud to have earned the public's confidence through our 40 years of restoring, managing, and enhancing Central Park and are excited to see how this project will transform the lives of New Yorkers."