Cooling Centers, Pools Set to Help Brooklynites Cool Off as Heat Wave Continues

With a heat advisory in effect in Kings County at least through Sunday evening, the city has opened dozens of free, publicly available cooling centers where Brooklynites can stay cool and out of the sun.

With temperatures expected to stay in the 90s through the weekend and heat indexes climbing above 100 degrees in some parts of the city, the National Weather Service is asking New Yorkers to limit outdoor activities and take frequent breaks for water and shade to avoid heat-related illness like heat stroke. Babies and children, seniors, pregnant people, and people with preexisting chronic illnesses are more vulnerable to complications related to high temperatures, according to the NWS, and people should check in with their friends, family members and neighbors.

Stay chilly in neighborhood cooling centers
Cooling centers, hosted by community centers, libraries, and other public institutions in partnership with the city, provide air-conditioned spaces for people to sit indoors during the hottest part of the day. Hours may vary by location based on the hours of the sponsoring organization, and not all cooling centers are accessible to people with physical disabilities.

Find a partial list of cooling centers in Brooklyn below, and call 311 or check out the city’s interactive map to find an open cooling center near you — including some that can accommodate furry friends.

North Brooklyn

Peter McGuinness Senior Center, 715 Leonard St. between Calyer Street and Greenpoint Avenue in Greenpoint. Older adults only, open weekdays, 8am-4pm. (718) 383-1940.

Cooper Park Community Center, 76 Kingsland Avenue between Frost and Jackson streets in Greenpoint. Open weekdays 6-11pm and weekend 3-11pm. (718) 497-6090

St. Nick’s Alliance Swinging Sixties Senior Center, 211 Ainslie St. between Manhattan and Graham avenues in Williamsburg. Older adults only. Open weekdays 9am-4pm. (718) 388 5454.

Williamsburgh Library, 240 Division Ave. between Rodney Street and Marcy Avenue in Williamsburg. Open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10am-6pm, Tuesday 1pm-8pm, Thursday 10am-8pm, and Saturday 10am-5pm. (718) 302 3485.

Farragut Houses Community Center, 228 York St. near Navy Street in Downtown Brooklyn. Open weekdays 6pm-11pm, weekends 3pm-11pm. (347) 529-6216.

Brooklyn Heights Library, 280 Cadman Plaza West between Clinton and Pierrepont streets in Brooklyn Heights. Open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10am-6pm, Tuesday 1-8pm, Thursday 10am-8pm, and Saturday 10am-5pm. (718) 623 7100.

Cornerstone at Atlantic Terminal, 501 Carlton Ave. between Atlantic Avenue and Fulton Street in Downtown Brooklyn. Open weekdays 6-11pm, weekends 3-11pm. (718) 783-7329.

Hope Gardens Community Center, 422 Central Ave. between Woodbine and Palmetto streets in Bushwick. Open weekdays 6-11pm, weekends 3-11pm. (718) 919-1603, ext 22.

Palmetto Gardens Senior Club, 85 Palmetto St. between Bushwick and Evergreen avenues in Bushwick. Open weekdays 9am-7pm. (718) 676 0876.
Red Hook Library, 7 Wolcott St. between Dwight and Richards streets in Red Hook. Open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10am-6pm, Tuesday 1-8pm, Thursday 10am-8pm, and Saturday 10am-5pm. (718) 935-0203.

Red Hook Library, 7 Wolcott St. between Dwight and Richards streets in Red Hook. Open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10am-6pm, Tuesday 1-8pm, Thursday 10am-8pm, and Saturday 10am-5pm. (718) 935-0203.

Central/East Brooklyn

Park Slope Library, 431 6th Ave. between 8th and 9th streets in Park Slope. Open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10am-6pm, Tuesday 1-8pm, Thursday 10am-8pm, and Saturday 10am-5pm. (718) 832-1853.

Shalom Senior Center, 483 Albany Ave. between Lefferts and Empire avenues in Crown Heights. Older adults only. Open Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm. (718) 774 9213.

Marcus Garvey Cornerstone Program, 20 Amboy St. between East New York and Pitkin avenues in Brownsville. Open Monday-Friday 6-11pm, weekends 3-11pm. (347) 240 0289.

Howard Cornerstone at Howard Community Center, 90 Watkins St. between Glenmore and Pitkin avenues in Brownsville. (718) 266 0485.

Theresa Moore Neighborhood Senior Center, 2702 Linden Blvd. between Eldert Lane and Autumn Avenue in East New York. Older adults only. Open weekdays, 8am-4pm. (347) 663-7770.

Petco Gateway Brooklyn, 528 Gateway Drive at the Gateway Center in East New York. Pet-friendly. Open Monday-Sunday, 9am-9pm. (718) 647 2604.

Sunset Park Library, 4201 4th Ave. between 42nd and 43rd streets in Sunset Park. Open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10am-6pm, Tuesday 1-8pm, Thursday 10am-8pm, and Saturday 10am-5pm. (718) 567-2806.

South Brooklyn

Boro Park YM-YWHA, 4912 14th Ave. between 49th and 50th streets in Borough Park. Older adults only. Open weekdays 9am-4pm. (718) 435-3804.

Shore Hill Neighborhood Senior Center, 9000 Shore Road at 91st Street and Shore Road in Bay Ridge. Older adults only. Open weekdays 9am-5pm. (347) 377-5474.

Salvation Army Bay Ridge Corps Community Center, 252 86th St. between Ridge Boulevard and 3rd Avenue in Bay Ridge. Pet friendly. Open weekdays 8am-5pm. (718) 238-2991.

New Utrecht Library, 1743 86th St. between 18th Avenue and Bay 16th Street in Bensonhurst. Open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10am-6pm, Tuesday 1-8pm, Thursday 10am-8pm, and Saturday 10am-5pm. (718) 236-4086.

O’Dwyer Community Center, 2945 West 33 St. between Mermaid and Surf avenues in Coney Island. Open Monday-Friday 6-11pm, weekends 3-11pm. (718) 310-5677.

Brighton Beach Library, 16 Brighton First Road at Brighton Beach Avenue in Brighton Beach. Open Monday, Wednesday and Friday 10am-6pm, Tuesday 1-8pm, Thursday 10am-8pm, and Saturday 10am-5pm. (718) 946 2917.

Sephardic Multi-Service Senior Center, 485 Kings Highway between East 2nd Street and McDonald Avenue in Gravesend. Older adults only. Open Monday-Thursday, 9am-5pm. (718) 336 1300.

Mill Basin Older Adult Center, 2075 East 68th St. between Avenues U and T in Bergen Beach. Older adults only. Open weekdays 8:30am-3:30pm. (718) 444 3850.

Pools, sprinklers, and more also available for outdoor fun
Cooling centers aren’t the only way to stay cool this summer — the city’s program “Cool It! NYC” works to bring “cooling features” to neighborhoods most vulnerable to “heat emergencies.” To that end, city parks offer public pools, spray showers and sprinklers, drinking fountains, and shade trees in public green spaces. While the most of the city’s pools have been operating on reduced hours or at partial capacity due to a lifeguard shortage, the city’s Parks Department extended operating hours at large outdoor pools on July 20th and 21st in response to the heat advisory. Find pools and water features near you with the Cool It! map.

The city also has additional resources to learn about heat emergencies, heat illness and more online.

Editor’s note: A version of this story originally ran in Brooklyn Paper. Click here to see the original story.

Related Stories

• Enjoy Creativity and Community With the Return of the Annual Bed Stuy STooPS Art Crawl
• Cafe and Plant Store Botani Preps to Open on Bed Stuy Corner
• Festival Minokan Returns for an Evening of Song and Dance at Wyckoff House Museum

Email tips@brownstoner.com with further comments, questions or tips. Follow Brownstoner on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.