Williamsburg and Greenpoint can eat their hearts out on the pool and ice skating front, at least for today. The big new Flushing Meadows-Corona Park Natatorium and Ice Rink is opening today and at at $66.3 million, it's said to be the costliest recreation building ever constructed in a city park. It hold a million gallons of 80-degree water, which is sounding good pretty good. The design comes from Handel Architects and was designed "in the dynamic spirit of the pavilions of the World's Fairs..with soaring masts supporting a cable stay long span structure over the rink and pool and a crystalline entry lobby that glows at night." A lot going on and, possibly, to come in this corner of Flushing. No worries, McCarren Pool will be ready in a few years.
· Modern Pool for Public is Opening in Flushing [NYT]
· Flushing Pool & Ice Rink [Handel Architects]
Simply put, a luxury development is not a luxury development without a swimming pool. Condo buyers may not use them, and the pools may drive monthly maintenance fees to ridiculous levels, but developers know that a private pool is an important marketing hook in the current high-stakes game of real estate development. These "lap pools" are supposed to be an exercise amenity, but for the most part they're sold as sexy playgrounds or relaxing getaways. The trend is so popular that it seems like every week we're posting renderings of a new development's private pool. And it got us thinking about which of these swimming holes cuts through the chlorine clutter and rises to the top. So, above is a photo gallery of our favorite new pools, ranked from 10 to 1. Many of the entries are renderings, which is why we're not calling these the "best." Who knows how these things will turn out? Instead, they are—for one reason or another—our favorites. Check it out, and let us know which ones we missed.
The jostling to get a replacement space for big concerts that have been held at McCarren Pool, and possibly garner a few hipster votes in the process, has started. Daily Intel reports that a member of Community Board 1 who's also running to replace City Councilman David Yassky is interested in snagging some waterfront property. The city is trying to put together 28 acres for a waterfront park that would stretch from the existing East River State Park to north of the Bushwick Inlet, but there are a boatload of issues ranging from legal to environtmental. The the future of concerts has been a sore point with some supporters of the big pool remake. Thies sent a proposal to the Parks Department and says there is "a lot the city can easily acquire and clear in eighteen months," meaning concerts in the summer of 2009 before the municipal election.
· New Outdoor Concert Space Could Replace McCarren Pool [Daily Intel]
· McCarren Pool Plans: Where Will the Concerts Go? [Curbed]
· Redone McCarren Pool Fully Revealed [Curbed]
Here, in all its original glory, are the renderings of the redesign of McCarren Pool. We're told they're "draft" images and, of course, the redesign has to be approved by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The renderings show the pool in summer and with an ice skating rink in the winter.
· New McCarren Pool Revealed in a Bootleg Kind of Way [Curbed]
[All images courtesy of Rogers Marvel]
For those curious about what the new McCarren Pool will look like, we have this rendering shown at a Community Board 1 meeting in Williamsburg last night and photographed by a Curbed Correspondent. It's sort of like what the Rogers Marvel plan would look like if someone bought a bootleg version of it sold out of a shopping bag on Canal Street, but it does give an idea of what it will look like in a few years. As we noted last week, the new pool covers about 70 percent of the area of the old one. The diving pool will be recreated with a board 12 1/2 feet hight. The pool will be "resorty" with umbrellas and tables. There will be cafes "catering to different price points." The Parks Department says it's looking for new concert space in "other parks" and on the waterfront. Anyone with a non-bootleg rendering, can contact tips@curbed.com, where operators are standing by.
· McCarren Pool Coming Back with Huge Pool, Ice Rink [Curbed]
· McCarren Pool Plans: Where Will Concerts Go? [Curbed]
The plans for the redo of McCarren Pool will get another showing tonight and some people will be asking, "Where's the concert venue?" The new McCarren Pool might be available for some small shows in spring and fall when the pool and ice skating rink aren't in use, but other than that, there's the issue of finding a new spot for big Williamsburg shows in 2009 and beyond. The Parks Department says that surveys showing support for shows at McCarren Pool were skewed because a lot were filled out by, well, people attending concerts and by "younger, more mobile and affluent folks...more than poorer, older ones." Meanwhile, attention has turned to the future Bushwick Inlet Park and environs as a possible site, although it will take years to build, even if things go smoothly. The head of Jelly NYC, which produces the free shows at the pool said in an email that while they totally support the new plan, there is a "need for there to be an alternative site for large scale concerts and other events to occur for summer 2009...We are not asking for a bandshell or anything like that, a large concrete slab on the water is fine so long as it can accommodate 5,000+ people."
· Will Williamsburg Get an Outdoor Venue After McCarren Pool? [GL]
· McCarren Pool Coming Back with Huge Pool, Ice Rink [Curbed]
· McCarren Pool Plans Coming, Work by End of Year [Curbed]
Reports are coming in from last night's unveiling of plans for McCarren Pool, which will get a $50 million overhaul starting at the end of the year. "Preliminary designs" were presented by Rogers Marvel. Here is a summary: the new pool will cover almost 70 percent of the space of the old one--significantly more than had been expected. The pool will be able to handle about 1,500 people. It will wrap around a concrete area that will just into the middle of the space in a U-shape. Architects are calling this area "the beach," as it will have water on three sides. The diving pool, which has been filled in, will be rebuilt. (There is also a long-term plan to rebuild the wading pool.) In the winter, some of the space will be used as an ice skating rink. One of the big existing structures to the right of the entrance will be converted to community space. The building on the left will be turned into a gym. There's also talk of putting a cafe atop the main entrance building. The rebuild means the end of big concerts at the pool, although the space could be used for some performances in the spring and fall when the pool and/or ice rink are closed. Come the end of summer '08, it will be time to kiss concerts at McCarren Pool goodbye. We're working on getting some renderings and, in the meantime, if you have anything, we're standing by at tips@curbed.com.
· McCarren Pool Plans Coming, Work by End of Year [Curbed]
· Amateur Urban Planners Get Crack at McCarren Pool [Curbed]
For all those waiting on the plans for McCarren Pool, the mystery is almost over. Rogers Marvel (which is part of the winning team working on the Governor's Island redo) is going to be unveiling the New Look McCarren Pool at a meeting tonight in the Burg. The Open Space Alliance of North Brooklyn says work on the pool is going to start by the end of the year and that the new $50 million venue--with a pool and year-round rec center among other things--will be open in 2011. Meanwhile, a survey that got 1,600+ responses found "strong support" for a new pool overall and for music and film programs "within certain demographics." (76% of the people that filled out surveys were under 40 and 25% actually live in Williamsburg and Greenpoint.) The news so far is that there will be music at the pool again this summer, but after that, the Alliance says its looking for another spot for big shows in '09 and beyond. Oh, and they want to bring the Philharmonic and opera to the pool this summer. The rebuilding plans have to be approved by the Landmarks Commission at the pool was landmarked last year.
· McCarren Park Pool Survey [OSA]
· Complete Pool Survey Results (WARNING: PDF) [OSA]
· Amateur Urban Planners Get Crack at McCarren Pool [Curbed]
Yes, this is an elephant in McCarren Pool. Her name is Beulah. You can click here to see her friend, Timmy. They're at the pool as part of an art project called Games are Forbidden in the Labyrinth, which "brings to life the ancient parable of the 'Blind Men and the Elephant.'" Sorry, but it's a (relatively) closed set. The film will be screened at a later date. Beulah and Timmy are hanging in the Burg courtesy of the same program that brings us the Brooklyn Loch Ness Monster and this thing in Prospect Park.
· Creative Time Photoset [f.trainer/flickr]
· Meet the Elephant in McCarren Pool [Gothamist]
· Art in the Parks [nyc.gov]
Remember Pool-Aid, the group working on McCarren Pool issues? There's a reason we're not linking to them directly: A Pool-Aid email is circulating noting that they lost their poolaid.org domain and that the buyer wants to sell it back to them. The email says, in part:
due to some technical snafus over the last couple of months, we lost the ownership of the domain poolaid.org. Just today I was finally able to get in touch with the new, current owner, but being a good capitalist that he is, he wants an offer of over $200 for us to regain ownership of the domain...The guy said he has rejected offers of $200 so we want to go back to him with more than $200...
The good news is that a domain name search reveals many alternate possibilities including poolaidonline.org, poolaidlive.org, thepoolaid.org, officialpoolaid.org and, our favorites, newpoolaid.org and easymccarrenpool.org. So, all is not lost in case the dude wants way more than $200.
· Group Still Trying to Fight the Power at McCarren Pool [Curbed]
· McCarren Pool Hipster Fun: We Are the Pool Vid [Curbed]
Why would someone plunk down a big deposit to live on Williamsburg's Karl Fischer Row? To make a nice home for his/her family? To stake a claim as a conquerer of the new Williamsburg? No and no. As everybody knows, it's all about trying to see McCarren Pool concerts for free. But how are the views? Phototipster Jesse Freeman was on the roof of the Aurora last night during the Beastie Boys' Brooklyn homecoming, and while the above makes it clear that the Pool is not a stone's throw away or anything, we kind of like this view from the back. It's nothing a good pair of binoculars can't fix, and you don't actually have to interact with any short-shorts-wearing McCarren Pool regulars. By the way, the Developers Group website shows that the Aurora is pretty much all locked up. Karl Fischer Row, you're so grown up!
· Checking in on McCarren Park Condoland [Curbed]
· Will Blackout Curtains Come with Karl Fischer Row Condos? [Curbed]
The McCarren Poolsituation will always be a lightning rod of controversy in Williamsburg/Greenpoint, which is why we're breaking our strict NO EVENTS posting policy to bring you information on what might be the most important evening in the History. Of. Brooklyn. Tonight, at something called the Swinging 60's Senior Center(!), you—yes, you—will help the Parks Department urban plan the shit out of the pool. From an email making the rounds:
the future of the pool is being planned NOW and this is your chance to be heard!!!! The mayor wants to put in an Olympic size pool, but that leaves lots of room for other stuff! Do you want to rock out? Basketball? Bungee jumping? Rock climbing? All of the above? It could happen if you SPEAK NOW!!!
It's really important that as many people as possible attend this meeting. Think of the hands on city planning fun you will have--and then yrs from now you can look at our pool, and think that you made it happen!
Those who want to rock out, all the haps on exactly what's going down are after the jump (and stay tuned tomorrow for some potential special Curbed coverage). Those who don't care, there's now a little more to hate: the presenting sponsor of this summer's free concert series at McCarren is none other than chief advertecture violator Helio. Bleh.
Get a glimpse at the future of the pool!>>
The Times digs deeper into what's in store for the Parks Department as part of Mayor Bloomberg's futuristic plan for a greener NYC by 2030, and the news is pretty darned dramatic. First up is the High Bridge, the pedestrian walkway that connects Manhattan and the Bronx, which has been closed since the '60s. Starting in 2008, the High Bridge will get a $65 million facelift in advance of a reopening. Very cool, but not as shocking as what's in store for McCarren Pool. Two years from this summer and $50 million later, McCarren Pool will be a pool again, albeit at one-third its current size. Holy shit! Is this already the end of the most controversial hipster music venue in Brooklyn? Will the work this summer affect the dodgeball court? Developing!
· In Park Plan, a New Life for Spaces Long Closed [NYT]
· McCarren Pool Will Have Hipsters This Summer! [Curbed]
From the looks of this Flickr photo set posted by new Curbed BFF John Fewell, the Ikon's opening party in Williamsburg wasn't all flashbulbs and fake celebrities, as was promised. Fewell also filed this report—at 4:45 a.m., all in the name of journalism:
There were at least 4 party photographers with professional SLRs lurking about taking pictures of the same groups of attractive people. It was a bar with a view... of Mccarren pool. Amazing. Marquee-esque club vibe was in full effect with velvet rope, security, bouncers. But will it sell expensive luxury condos?
One of the complaints about the controversial summer concert series at Williamsburg's McCarren Pool is that the programming isn't diverse enough. Last year's set of shows seemed to cater to hipsters, and hipsters only. This summer, it looks like the organizers are at least trying to branch out a little, because as BrooklynVegan reports, the hippie jambands Disco Biscuits and Umphrey's McGee have been booked to play the pool in August. So how are the hipsters taking it? Not well. Not well at all:
In the end, the irritating fans and monotony of the music caused me to abandon jam bands for greener pastures.
SO, be sure to avoid McCarren Park and Bedford Ave on 8/15 if troves of Long Island hippy stoners and twenty-minute suck-fest songs scare you as much as they scare me.
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Reports are coming in from last night's unveiling of plans for McCarren Pool, which will get a $50 million overhaul 
For all those waiting on the plans for McCarren Pool, the mystery is almost over. 
Remember 
