Brooklyn · Kings County
McCarren Park Pool
NYC Parks
- Location
- Within McCarren Park, Lorimer Street and Bayard Street, Greenpoint / Williamsburg
- Size
- Part of McCarren Park (35 acres) acres
- Hours
- Summer: 11 AM - 7 PM daily
- Type
- NYC Parks
McCarren Park Pool is a landmark WPA-era public swimming pool that was closed for nearly 50 years before a celebrated restoration reopened it in 2012, returning one of Brooklyn's grandest public facilities to community use.
The pool was built in 1936 as part of Robert Moses' massive simultaneous opening of eleven giant pools across the city. McCarren Pool could accommodate 6,800 swimmers and was one of the most monumental public recreation facilities ever built in the United States.
After decades of decline, the pool was closed in 1984. The empty pool became a concert venue and event space in the 2000s, hosting performances by major acts. The city invested $50 million to restore the pool, which reopened to enormous community celebration.
The restored pool is smaller than the original (accommodating 1,500 rather than 6,800) but features a modern spray shower area, a children's wading pool, and improved facilities that meet contemporary safety standards.
McCarren Park Pool's restoration represents the city's renewed commitment to the New Deal vision of grand public recreation: the idea that the public deserves facilities as beautiful and well-maintained as any private club.