In addition to being a community facility beloved by generations; a landmark important to many groups including LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities; the backdrop for several feature films; a significant holdout as the last remaining bath house on the west side of Manhattan; and an important work of architecture by the firm Renwick, Aspinwall & Tucker, […]
Tony Dapolito Recreation Center stands in the heart of Greenwich Village and has served these many years as much more than just a city rec center. It’s a place where generations of New Yorkers learned to swim, shoot hoops, and connect with their neighbors. It’s also a cultural touchstone — immortalized in films like Raging […]
The public bath house was a fixture of late 19th and early 20th century New York City life. These grand municipal buildings served several important purposes for New Yorkers, especially those residing in tight quarters in overcrowded tenement buildings, where running water was often not an option and certainly not a guarantee. The City set […]
The buildings we pass in our neighborhoods can offer windows into some rather specific aspects of New York history, and the interesting and sometimes complicated figures involved in the city’s development. One prominent example is what we can learn from some buildings in our neighborhood about public bathing habits and hygiene during the 19th century. […]
Summer makes one think of our public pools and recreation centers (whether they’re open or not). The first one that came to mind was the Tony Dapolito Center, which opened on May 6, 1908. Located on 7th Avenue between Carmine and Clarkson Streets, this South Village recreation center is named after the late “Mayor of […]
