Manhattan · New York County
Central Park Loeb Boathouse
NYC Parks
- Location
- East side of the Lake, near East 75th Street, Central Park
- Size
- Part of Central Park acres
- Hours
- Seasonal; boathouse hours vary
- Type
- NYC Parks
The Loeb Boathouse is the iconic lakeside pavilion on the eastern shore of Central Park's Lake, providing rowboat and bicycle rentals and serving as one of the most recognized landmarks in the park.
The boathouse, built in 1954 with a donation from Carl M. Loeb, replaced an earlier Victorian-era structure. The building's lakeside terrace provides one of the most romantic dining settings in the city, overlooking the Lake with Bow Bridge and the San Remo towers in the distance.
Rowboat rentals from the boathouse have been a Central Park tradition for over a century, allowing visitors to paddle across the Lake's calm waters, beneath Bow Bridge, and into the secluded Ramble shoreline.
The boathouse closed in 2023 after its longtime restaurant operator departed, but was reopened under new management. The facility's future as both a recreational amenity and a dining destination continues to evolve.
The Loeb Boathouse provides the most romantic recreational experience in Central Park: rowing a boat across the Lake as the city's skyline and Olmsted's forest alternate on the shoreline, in a setting that has defined the park experience for generations.