Red Hook Pool Gets Landmarked
The Red Hook Play Center and Pool, at 155 Bay Street, was a Robert Moses and Mayor LaGuardia collaboration, one of 11 that opened in the summer of ’36, funded by the WPA. They are “considered major feats of engineering and architecture, and are recognized as the most remarkable public recreational facilities ever constructed in…
The Red Hook Play Center and Pool, at 155 Bay Street, was a Robert Moses and Mayor LaGuardia collaboration, one of 11 that opened in the summer of ’36, funded by the WPA. They are “considered major feats of engineering and architecture, and are recognized as the most remarkable public recreational facilities ever constructed in the United States.” Sounds plenty worthy of landmark designation, and the LPC agreed yesterday, although this one is the 11th — that means last — to achieve it. The pool is 330 by 130 feet and can accommodate 4,400 swimmers (not that they let that many in). More from LPC:
“The Art Moderne-style recreation center is designed in the shape of a long, low C and features horizontal bands of windows, long cast-stone sills and segmental arch openings. It was renamed in 1986 in honor of Sol Goldman, a Brooklyn-born real estate mogul who helped to finance the renovation of each of the WPA-era complexes.”
Good news, right?
GREAT NEWS! This is a beautiful facility, public works design at its best, it deserves to be preserved. Perhaps a little worn around the edges, but the bones are awesome. I do the adult swim 7-9am (June-July, 2 months, not 2 weeks). The scale of the pool is literally gigantic. If you haven’t seen it in person, check it out on LIVE search, the birdseye view tells the story. Given develop-o-mania in Red Hook, this is a very good thing.
If this means they can never take down the sign telling you not to discharge feces into the pool, then I’m all for it!
In addition to special lap swimming times from 7-8 a.m. and 7-8 p.m. on weekdays, the lap swimming section of the pool is separate from the free-for-all area, so the kiddies roughhousing isn’t a factor anyway.
Since we don’t have anything between landmarked and not landmarked, the only way to protect anything is to landmark it. Sometimes, I agree, that can be heavy handed. Also on the practical beaurocratic side, it ties up a very small staff, and delays the larger, perhaps more important, projects.
I’ve never been to this particular pool, so I can’t speak as to my opinion of its worthiness, also though from what I see, good move. I think there should be a middle designation that would encourage the preservation of buildings that may not be quite worthy of landmarking, but need to be protected from willy-nilly overdevelopment. Yeah, I know, another layer of beaurocracy, but beats a wrecking ball and later regrets, recriminations and lamentations.
I think that most, if not all, of these city pools have time set aside for lap swimming. So if you go at that time, it is not full of kids and teens.
Yaaaaaay! I’m a fan.
This is a great things–the pools are not only a valuable public resource, they are a part of history.
ew that sucks that a diving area was turned into a kiddie pool. 🙁 almost everything is becoming landmarked these days… the silver towers of NYU were just landmarked.. everyone always says those three towers are fuggo, but i sorta like them for some reason. they are pretty unique looking.. i didnt know tho that two of them were dorms!
-rob
I really just don’t understand this crazed landmarking nonsense.
It is a fine pool, and I go there at least once a week for the two weeks it’s open. But a landmark? The most remarkable public recreation space in the US? It’s a pool. What’s the big deal?
I’m also not pleased the diving pool was filled in and turned into a kiddie pool.
Rob, it’s perfectly clean. I wouldn’t worry.
gack. has anyone ever been to indoor poor in riverside state park? stink city! i totally wanted to go to the floating lady pool last summer but missed out 🙁 now it’s up in the bronx this summer right? hmm. i love public pools if they arent really grody. im just a lil iffy about nyc public pools. are there any adult-only public pools around?
-rob