Exploring LGBTQ+ History at the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center

The Tony Dapolito Recreation Center has a long history of serving the surrounding community, visitors from other parts of New York City, and in some cases, the world. The rec center was constructed in several phases, first opening in 1908 as the Carmine Street Baths. The original structure and was designed by the firm of Renwick, Aspinwall & Tucker, and was designed as a public bath house, occupying the eastern end of the adjacent J.J. Walker Park.

Since its initial completion, the building has undergone several major renovations and expansions. The first major change came with the extension of Seventh Avenue South between 1914 and 1917, when the corner portion of the existing bath house was demolished. In 1922, along the new frontage created by the Seventh Avenue South extension, the bath house was extended, under designs from architect Jaros Kraus. In 1929, a two-story roof pavilion was completed to the west of the original bath house, and was designed by Mitchell Bernstein. This extension contained a playground room, an indoor pool, and restrooms for men and women. In the 1930s, an outdoor pool was added to the facility using funding from the Works Progress Administration.

For much of the facility’s history, it was known as the Carmine Street Recreation Center or the Carmine Street Pool. In 2003 it was renamed after longtime community advocate Tony Dapolito. The facility has provided generations with a space to cool off, and like many Greenwich Village locales, the Carmine Street pool holds strong ties to LGBTQ+ history.

The most prominent of these connections is the 170-Foot Keith Haring mural that runs parallel to the outdoor pool. The mural was completed over the course of a single day in August of 1987. The pool was open to the public, and Haring painted the mural as deejay Junior Vasquez played music.

The mural fittingly takes inspiration from the water, and features cartoon versions of sea creatures, children, a body builder and swimmers, drawn in black on top of background featuring blue and yellow.

In 1994, the recreation center was one of the locations to host events for the Gay Games IV. The Gay Games were founded in 1982, with the goal of bringing together those of different backgrounds for week of sports, culture and entertainment. An advertisement for the 1994 Gay Games is Newsday described the event like this:

“Gay Games IV is an Athletic and Cultural Festival Open to all. The theme and spirit is unity and participants are encouraged to achieve their personal best. The Purpose of Gay Games IV is to enhance the dignity, pride and self respect of lesbians and gay men everywhere.”

The 1994 Gay Games in New York coincided with the 25th anniversary celebrations of the Stonewall Riots in New York, which drew millions of visitors from around the world. This resulted in the Gay Games overtaking the traditional Olympics in size; that year, the Gay Games saw 10,864 participants, more than the 9,356 who took part in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics and the 10,318 who participated in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Events for the Gay Games took place in different locations around the city, with the Carmine Street Rec Center playing host to the martial arts, powerlifting and judo competitions.

The Tony Dapolito Center was landmarked as part of the Greenwich Village Historic District Extension II in 2010. In 2024, the city announced its intention to pursue demolition of the historic structure, which Village Preservation adamantly opposes. To tell city officials to preserve and restore rather than destroy the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center, click here.