Earlier this month the Central Park Conservancy finally broke ground on the new swimming pool and ice skating rink coming to the Harlem Meer in the north end of Central Park.
The Harlem Meer Center, as it is now called, will replace the old Lasker Rink and Pool, a concrete-walled complex that faced problems like flooding even before it opened in 1966.
A mix of stone, wood and glass, the new facility will be built into the existing slope and feature a larger-than-Olympic-size pool that will transform into an ice skating rink in the winter.
A boardwalk along the Harlem Meer will also double as a "skating ribbon" in the colder months.
The entire design will be much more open and integrated into its surroundings. A stream that had previously been diverted underground will be brought to the surface, looping around the pool and emptying into the lake.
Work on the new center officially began on September 9, 2021 and is slated to be completed in 2024.
