Your new rink, pool, and turf space in the making
Three years ago, ILTUWS attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Harlem Meer Center, a $160 million project designed to create a sprawling recreational space at the north end of Central Park, just south of 110th Street. Last week, ILTUWS returned to the site for a guided tour of the ongoing work, which is slated to open in the spring of 2025, accompanied by members of the design team.
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At the site of the old Lasker Rink and Pool, the new multipurpose space will officially be called the Davis Center at the Harlem Meer, named in honor of Kathryn and Andrew Davis, who donated $40 million to the project. Once completed, the center will house a larger-than-Olympic-size pool measuring 285 by 120 feet—making it the eighth-largest pool in New York City. Christopher Nolan, Project Executive and former Chief Landscape Architect of Central Park, told ILTUWS that the pool will include dividers, when necessary, to accommodate 50-meter lap swimming with designated lanes. The facility will also feature a full-size ice rink and a green roof, designed to reduce heating and air conditioning costs while providing pedestrians with a scenic path to enjoy. The path will also help connect the center to the east side of the park, a challenge that was present in the previous design.
Pathway through green roof
Between pool and ice-rink season, the center will feature a turf platform, providing year-round functionality. The turf will be a green space, similar to Sheep’s Meadow, where people can throw a frisbee or have a picnic. ILTUWS asked how long the transition times would be to pivot the center from a pool to the turf to the ice rink. Susan T. Rodriguez, the project’s design architect, explained that they are working with a project manager who specializes in efficiently transforming spaces for major events, such as the Super Bowl halftime show, to make these transitions as seamless as possible.
During warmer weather, center pivot floor-to-ceiling glass doors open along the entire length of the gathering space to create a covered front porch.
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The 8-acre site will also mark the return of the watercourse that originally flowed through the Ravine and Huddlestone Arch into the Meer. The previous infrastructure was plagued by leaks that led to pool closures, but the new design will establish a wetland edge and curvilinear boardwalk along the adjacent shoreline, effectively stitching together the landscape across the site. This will provide excellent opportunities for wildlife observation and fishing while supporting community programs such as nature education and canoeing. The goal is to create an experience where it feels as though you’re still in Central Park, no matter where you are. The Kempner Boardwalk, named in honor of Thomas L. Kempner, Jr. and Katheryn C. Patterson, who donated $25 million to the project, will be a key feature of this revitalized space.
Huddlestone Arch and the coming boardwalk
The building at the Meer is integrated into the steep topography of the site’s eastern slope, allowing it to blend seamlessly with the Park’s natural setting. Spanning 34,000 square feet, it will sit beneath the 29,000 square-foot green (vegetated) roof, which will be home to plants and trees. Inside, visitors will find concessions and a public locker room with showers. Alcohol will not be served. Local materials, such as Adirondack Stone, were used in the construction, which radiates beautifully in the sunlight.
Touring with the design leadership team in front of Adirondack Stone
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Funding for the new center includes $60 million allocated by New York City, while the Conservancy privately raised an additional $100 million. David S. Gottesman and Ruth K. Gottesman made a significant contribution, and the pool and rink are named in their honor as The Gottesman Pool and Rink.
Originally opened in the mid-1960s, the Central Park Conservancy calls the transition of Lasker Pool and Rink to the Davis Center at the Harlem Meer its most significant and complex project to date.
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How much for skating, no skate rental?
Are the lockers free with your own lock, for skating and swimming?
So many questions. How ever will we get those answers
Cyrus,
Well, that I’m not going to get them from you is clear.
Do you have anything relevant to add?
Will the ice be as terrible as the old Trump run Lasker rink?
Nice reporting. Did I miss something, or is there no mention of an inauguration date?
Mark S.:
A lot is missing from this article.
So exciting. The old pool wasn’t heated. Is the new one?