Lasker Rink

How New York keeps its cool: A history of ice skating in NYC

Central-Park Winter, 1862, via NYPL Digital Collections

January 5, 2022

How New York keeps its cool: A history of ice skating in NYC

While we haven't had much snow yet this year, New York is already a winter wonderland thanks to the many ice skating rinks found across the city. If you choose to glide through the season on ice, taking a spin anywhere from Central Park to Coney Island, you’re sliding into a New York winter tradition that includes the nation’s first organized ice rink, a decade of “Icetravaganzas” that drew millions, a glittery trend of hotel ice gardens throughout Midtown, and even a relationship to the origins of baseball. So lace up, and read on for a history of ice-skating in New York City.
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History

Trump-operated ice rinks in Central Park to stay open for rest of season

Photo of the Wollman Rink by bekhap on Flickr

February 22, 2021

Trump-operated ice rinks in Central Park to stay open for rest of season

By Devin Gannon

Two ice rinks in Central Park that are operated by the Trump Organization will now remain open for the rest of the season instead of shuttering early as originally planned. The Trump Organization announced it would close Wollman Rink and Lasker Rink on Sunday after city officials requested the company cease operations on February 26, ahead of the contract's April expiration. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the termination of the agreements with former President Donald Trump's company for the ice rinks and two other city concessions following the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol on January 6. In a reversal, the city on Sunday said the rinks can stay open for the remainder of the season.
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Policy

Photo of Wollman Rink by subherwal on Flickr

January 13, 2021

NYC will cancel Trump Organization contracts after Capitol riot

By Devin Gannon

New York City will cancel three contracts with the Trump Organization after last week's deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Mayor Bill de Blasio on Wednesday announced plans to terminate agreements for two ice rinks at Central Park, the Central Park Carousel, and the Trump Golf Links at Ferry Point in the Bronx. President Donald Trump still owns the organization but has given his sons Eric and Donald Jr. control over the business. "Goodbye to the Trump Organization," de Blasio said during a press briefing. "We're not doing any business with you."
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Policy

Plan to renovate Central Park North rink and pool opposed by local skaters and swimmers

Rendering courtesy of Susan T. Rodriguez Architecture | Design and the Central Park Conservancy

February 19, 2020

Plan to renovate Central Park North rink and pool opposed by local skaters and swimmers

By Devin Gannon

The $150 million plan to build a new pool and ice rink at the northern end of Central Park is facing backlash from local swimmers and skaters. Last September, the Central Park Conservancy revealed a project to replace the aging Lasker Rink and Pool and create space for year-round recreation. But a group of hockey players and swimmers is asking the conservancy to revise its plan, which they claim would reduce the space they can use, eliminating some of the programs offered.
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Architecture And Design

Lasker Rink

How New York keeps its cool: A history of ice skating in NYC

Trump-operated ice rinks in Central Park to stay open for rest of season

NYC will cancel Trump Organization contracts after Capitol riot

Plan to renovate Central Park North rink and pool opposed by local skaters and swimmers

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