McCarren Pool

Everyone’s favorite abandoned-pool-come-concert-venue is about to become a swimming hole once again. On June 28, 2012, McCarren Park Pool will open to the public with eight 82 foot lanes that will be able to accommodate up to 1,500 swimmers. [The Brooklyn Paper (May 18-24)]

Located within the 35-acre McCarren Park, McCarren Pool was one of eleven pools opened by Robert Moses in 1936. The pool closed in 1984 and sat unused until the summer of 2005, when the empty pool basin opened as a popular venue for concerts, dance, and movies. Thanks to the $50 million in funding allocated through Mayor Bloomberg’s PlaNYC initiative, McCarren Pool is being rebuilt as a center for year-round recreation for the residents of northern Brooklyn.

The rehabilitation of the Pool preserves the historic bathhouse building and entry arch. The project includes a swimming pool, and recreation center. The pool “beach” can accommodate an ice skating rink in the winter. Arts and music events will return to McCarren after the pool reopens. [nycgovparks.org]