Bronx's historic Orchard Beach Pavilion now has $50M for restoration

Plans to renovate the Bronx’s historic Orchard Beach Pavilion are moving forward with additional funds from Mayor Bill de Blasio, the New York Daily News reports. At a press conference on Friday, the mayor committed $20 million to restoring the waterfront structure, which has been shuttered since 2007.

That brings the total number of funds committed to its repair to $50 million. Early last year, Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, Jr. announced that he had earmarked $10 million from his capital budget to renovate the structure, which opened amid much fanfare in 1936. Since then, Governor Andrew Cuomo and State Assembly speaker Carl Heastie have also committed $10 million to the project.

The city hasn’t yet announced how long it will take for the majestic pavilion to reopen, but it’s fair to expect it’ll be a few years at least. At its peak the pavilion came with 5,000 lockers and a 500 seat restaurant. The announcement comes just a few days after the city’s beaches opened for the summer season.

• De Blasio announces $50M plan to restore old pavilion on Orchard Beach in Bronx borough tour [NYDN]
• Bronx's Historic Orchard Beach Pavilion Could Get $40M Facelift [Curbed]