Monday, April 14, 2025

A ribbon-cutting ceremony to officially unveil the renovated Tompkins Square Park field house

Top photos from Saturday

After nearly two years of work, the Tompkins Square Park field house — now without the protective chain-link construction fence — has returned to service. (And farewell to the porta-potties!) 

To mark the occasion, there's a ribbon-cutting ceremony today (Monday!) at 3 p.m. featuring Susan Donoghue, NYC Department of Parks commissioner, and several local elected officials. The public is invited to the event on the Ninth Street transverse between Avenue A and Avenue B. (Look for the giant ceremonial scissors.) 

The reconstruction of the field house that serves the 10.5-acre park included a complete renovation of the building's interior and exterior, upgrading all mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems. Accessibility improvements feature reconfigured layouts, new entryways, ADA-compliant ramps, and renovated restrooms and maintenance areas. 

The mayor's office funded the $5.6 million renovations, which were much needed because the field house rarely had heat or hot water, and the restrooms made a strong case for exorcism before plumbing.
The space, which includes the Slocum Memorial Fountain, has been closed to the public during renovations. 

Here's a look (through the gate) at the area behind the field house from last week ...
The Tompkins Square Park mini pool (yes, Tompkins has a pool) was also out of commission for two consecutive summers. However, the pool was not part of the renovation project, as you can see from this photo from last week...
Expect a new pool in the years ahead, though. Last August, Gov. Hochul announced nearly $150 million in capital grants to fund 37 projects as part of the New York Statewide Investment in More Swimming (NY SWIMS) initiative. 

Tompkins Square Park will receive $6.1 million for a new in-ground pool, which will double the current capacity of the above-ground model for children and their guardians. The project's start date has not been announced.
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3 comments:

  1. Mr.Avenue AApril 14, 2025 at 11:26 AM

    I know of a 60-foot heated pool with a hot tub, lighting, etc. built from scratch (not a renovation) on Cape Cod, done during the COVID supply-chain crisis, built by the area’s premier (most expensive) pool company — total cost, all-in, was $250,000.

    A quarter of a million dollars is a lot of money for a pool.

    Ummm…who’s charging the city of NY, for the Tompkins Square Park pool renovation, $6.1 million?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Eric TrimbleApril 15, 2025 at 12:20 AM

    2 years to renovate a ** bathroom

    ReplyDelete
  3. Eric TrimbleApril 15, 2025 at 12:21 AM

    2 years to renovate a bathroom... only 'elected officials' can achieve such a feat

    ReplyDelete

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