McCarren Brainstorming, 70 Years Ago and Today

We happened to pick up a copy last week of the July issue of the Greenline, a North Brooklyn community newspaper, and were psyched to find the most in depth article we’d seen about the brainstorming session over the future of McCarren Pool that happened back in June. (It also included a photo of a 1936 rendering of the site that shows off-season uses for the pool like volleyball and tennis.) Here’s an outtake from the article, which is not available on line:

The most frequently-asked for features were an ice-skating rink, performances, a multi-use/,ulti-level pool where people would dive, wade or swim laps, and a skateboarding area…Ranking just below those ideas in popularity were a concessions stand, open or green space for passive recreation, a shaded area, nighttime use, art, especially sculpture, utilization of of the full footprint of the existing pool, the inclusion of as much (recreational) water as possible, and sustainability features such as green roofs, solar power, geothermal heat, recycled materials, salt filtration, rainwater collection, permeable pavement, etc. Some interesting and/or kooky ideas that were mentioned only once were Russian baths, a sandy area, sleigh riding, a carousel, and a Mr. and Mrs. McCarren Pool contest.

Of course, now that the pool has been landmarked, any alteration is going to require the sign-off of LPC.
LPC Gives McCarren Pool a Big Thumbs-Up [Brownstoner]
W’burg Landmarking Update: Domino and McCarren [Brownstoner]
Photo by Peter van der Zwan