Central Park’s new public pool is now open
All photos © Richard Barnes
Swimming is back in Central Park. The Gottesman Pool opened last month as part of the new $160 million Davis Center at the Harlem Meer. Located on the northern end of the park, the elongated oval pool measures 285 feet by 120 feet, making it bigger than an Olympic-size pool and one of the largest public pools in New York City.
“The Central Park Conservancy is proud to welcome New Yorkers to the Davis Center’s new, state-of-the-art public pool for the 2025 season,” Central Park Conservancy President and CEO Betsy Smith said in a statement.
“This $160 million investment in the park’s north end, the most significant and complex project in our organization’s history, exemplifies how public parks can evolve to better serve their communities. The Davis Center will provide much-needed, year-round access to swimming, skating, and nature for Harlem and northern Manhattan.”
The pool is the centerpiece of the Davis Center, which opened in April. Designed by Susan T Rodriguez | Architecture • Design and Mitchell Giurgola Architects in collaboration with the Central Park Conservancy, the new facility was built into the site’s natural, steep topography and sits within the “curvilinear geometry of Park Drive,” as envisioned by Olmsted and Vaux.
The landscape and paths extend across a green roof that covers the building, as a way to blend the structure into the surrounding nature. Visitors can also take in views of the Harlem Meer and the pool below from the roof.
The pool will be one of the few in the city to accommodate 50-meter lap swimming. Plus, the city will offer Learn to Swim classes for toddlers, children, and adults. Registration takes place by lottery; learn more here.
In the winter, the pool transforms with the season and will be converted into a full-size ice skating rink. In the spring and fall seasons, the space will become a sprawling multi-use field.
The Davis Center, constructed as part of the larger restoration of the Ravine, replaces the outdated Lasker Rink and Pool, which opened in the 1960s and had several structural issues.
Facing the pool is a light-filled gathering space, with floor-to-ceiling glass doors, wooden ceiling, a curved wall made of stone, and a skylight to bring more light in. There are several amenity spaces, including locker rooms, public restrooms, and concessions.
The Gottesman Pool is open 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, with a break for pool cleaning between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m.
After four years without a public pool in Central Park, New Yorkers are flocking to the new facility to take a dip. Videos are circulating online of long wait times to get in the pool, with some swimmers waiting several hours in line, according to amNY.
Your best bet is to arrive early, before the pool is open, to secure a spot. On busy days, the NYC Parks Department may limit the time allowed to swim to accommodate more people.
And remember, you must have a combination lock and a swimsuit on to enter. Floaties, food, glass bottles, newspapers, electronic devices, and non-white attire are not allowed.
If you can’t get into the Gottesman Pool, NYC Parks operates 53 outdoor pools throughout the five boroughs, including others near this end of Central Park, including the Frederick Douglass Mini Pool on Amsterdam Avenue, the Marcus Garvey Pool on 124th Street and Fifth Avenue, and the Abe Lincoln Pool on 135th Street and Fifth Avenue.
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