By the end of the month, McCarren Pool will welcome swimmers for the first time in nearly 20 years. Since closing in 1984, the concrete basin sat neglected on the border of Greenpoint and Williamsburg, but now it's being resurrected with a $50 million makeover. Photographer Gina Pollack captured the public space in 2009, after it was a makeshift music playground for hipsters and before its pristine transformation began, scaling a construction fence to take in the beautiful destruction before it was wiped away. Her photo series of the pool, titled "Where They Swam," will be featured in an exhibit at The One Well opening this Friday.
A press release for the show says, "The photographs highlight the ways in which the neighborhood has changed since 1936 when the pool first opened, providing local children with a safer swimming area than the polluted East River. The same pool that was once crowded with working-class immigrants is now surrounded by luxury condominiums, aided by $50 million in renovation funds."
· New Photo Series Captures McCarren Park Pool From Before Its Renovation [Free Williamsburg]
· Gina Pollack [official]
· McCarren Pool coverage [Curbed]
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