Central Park’s Lasker Pool will get a $150M renovation

Central Park’s Lasker Pool and ice skating rink is set to undergo a major renovation that is expected to get underway sometime in 2020, the New York Daily News has learned. It’s the latest new renovation announced for New York City’s most iconic park following work on the park’s Belvedere Castle, and a planned renovation of the park’s west side.

The Lasker Pool revamp will be jointly funded by the city and the Central Park Conservancy, the organization that oversees the management of the park. The city will contribute $50 million toward the upgrade, and the Conservancy will contribute $100 million, which it plans to generate through fundraising—$25 million have already been raised for this effort.

The current facility blocks the North Woods from the Harlem Meer, and the Conservancy is hopeful that a new design will rectify this condition. The pool, which doubles up as a ice skating rink in the winter, is one of most heavily trafficked facilities in the park, and Conservancy’s president told the Daily News that it has essentially needed an upgrade since it was built in the 1960s.

The announcement of the revamp is also accompanied by a conceptual rendering commissioned by the Conservancy. The renovation is expected to last three years.

• Central Park’s Lasker pool and ice rink set for $150 million renovation [NYDN]
• All the Central Park Coverage [Curbed]