In late April, Village Preservation was finally granted access to the long-shuttered, landmarked Tony Dapolito Recreation Center (formerly the Carmine Street Recreation Center), which the Parks Department has been agitating to demolish. In a tour requested by Councilmember Erik Bottcher, we got to see for ourselves the conditions at the neglected Center, which the City has kept closed for over five years and refused to repair.

The inspections confirmed all of our suspicions and previous understandings about the conditions at the building. While it is in need of repair due to years of neglect and deferred maintenance by the City, with appropriate funding and work, the Center is more than capable of being restored and serving the public for at least another 117 years (it first opened May 6, 1908 as a public bathhouse). Every repair needed or issue the Parks Department pointed to is one commonly found among older buildings, and treasured local landmarks from Jefferson Market Library to Westbeth and the Public Theatre, as well as the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History, Grand Central Station, and the Municipal Building all thrive in structures with similar (or more challenging) conditions to those found at Tony Dapolito. If the Parks Department is allowed to demolish this building as it would like to, every landmarked building in our neighborhoods in need of repairs gains a pathway to, and a justification for, demolition. Read our letter to city officials outlining what we found HERE.

But there may be some cause for hope. Following this pushback against the City’s plans, the Mayor’s just-released proposed budget included this item: 

• Adding ($51.8 million) for the reconstruction of the historic Tony Dapolito Recreation Center to fully fund the project, including a fully accessible pool, a pool house building, a new indoor recreation center, and preservation of the iconic Keith Haring mural.

It’s unclear if this is intended for restoring the existing landmarked building, or demolishing and replacing it. But it’s tens of millions of dollars that can and should be used to repair and restore this historic community cornerstone.

TO HELP: