Photos and reporting by Stacie Joy
After an extended closure, the Tompkins Square Park mini pool (yes, Tompkins has a mini pool) is finally expected to reopen for the 2025 summer season, New York City Parks officials said.
The pool initially closed during the pandemic and has remained out of service due to a lack of bathroom access while the park's field house was under renovation the past two summers.
Now that the all-new field house is in operation, the pool is being prepared for use. Some scraping and leveling work has been done to address tilting issues, and a test run will be conducted to ensure it is safe for swimmers, according to Tricia Shimamura, Manhattan Borough Commissioner for NYC Parks & Recreation, during the April 14 field house ribbon-cutting ceremony.
The pool for children and their guardians is anticipated to remain open through Labor Day.
Looking ahead, Tompkins Square Park is also slated for a significant upgrade. Last August, Gov. Hochul announced nearly $150 million in capital grants through the New York Statewide Investment in More Swimming (NY SWIMS) initiative.
As part of that, Tompkins Square Park was awarded $6.1 million for a new in-ground pool, which will double the capacity of the current above-ground trailer park model.
A start date for construction on the new pool has not been announced yet.
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