{"id":130039,"date":"2025-08-08T21:17:11","date_gmt":"2025-08-08T21:17:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/130039\/"},"modified":"2025-08-08T21:17:11","modified_gmt":"2025-08-08T21:17:11","slug":"infuriated-preservationists-slam-nycs-plan-to-demolish-and-replace-historic-west-village-pool-outrageous","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/130039\/","title":{"rendered":"Infuriated preservationists slam NYC\u2019s plan to demolish and replace historic West Village pool: \u2018Outrageous!\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

West Village preservationist groups are outraged over the city\u2019s recently announced plan<\/a> to demolish and replace the beloved Tony Dapolito recreation and aquatic center.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Opponents of the proposed project claim that the landmarked structure<\/a> \u2014 which opened in 1908 and features an iconic mural by the artist Keith Haring \u2014 has been subject to years of neglect by the city and was shuttered in 2019 due to the disrepair. <\/p>\n

Now, city officials with the parks department and the mayor\u2019s office have introduced a new solution for the aging building \u2014 which involves tearing it down to make way for a brand new complex \u2014 and finding space for the mural in the renovated property. <\/p>\n

Andrew Berman, executive director of Village Preservation, an advocacy group leading the charge to restore the space, called the new proposal \u201coutrageous\u201d.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Tony Dapolito building, which features a mural by the artist Keith Haring. William Farrington<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know who the mayor thinks he is serving or pleasing with this demolition plan, but it\u2019s not the people of Lower Manhattan, and it\u2019s not the people of the city of New York,\u201d Berman contested.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The supposed fate of the Dapolito building is part of a massive, $164 million project spanning over 100,000 square feet to re-vamp the Clarkson street corridor. The renderings hinge on demolishing the old center and erecting a brand new outdoor aquatics complex in its place.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The blueprint also includes enhanced green space and an indoor recreation center at 388 Hudson street, which is undeveloped. <\/p>\n

The renovation proposal includes over 100,000 square feet of indoor and outdoor space. NYC Parks<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is of course, welcome that the NYC Parks Department is pursuing much-needed renovations along the Clarkson Street corridor,\u201d said Sommer Omar, a community organizer fighting to restore the Dapolito Center. She argued though, the plan shouldn\u2019t center on demolishing the historic structure. <\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cWe should be safeguarding all of our public spaces, not forcing communities to sacrifice one for the sake of another,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In April,\u00a0 advocates were allowed to scope out the deteriorating building for themselves, and confirmed alongside inspectors that it could be salvaged with proper procedure.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The building, which was constructed in 1908, faces demolition if the city\u2019s plan comes to fruition. William Farrington<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cThere is nothing, nothing in that building that is beyond repair,\u201d Berman insisted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

To further the frustration \u2013 at a Community Board meeting Wednesday evening, Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa revealed that $120 million had already been allocated to the building\u2019s restoration \u2013 but the city hadn\u2019t taken actionable steps to begin the process.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Despite the challenges ahead, Berman and his coalition of neighbors and preservationists are, ready to put up a fight, he says. <\/p>\n

The group secured landmark status for the property 15 years ago, which means the city can\u2019t demolish it without approval from the Landmark Preservation Commission.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNow, that commission is appointed and controlled by the mayor, so he\u2019s got his thumb on the scale there, but we will fight him every step of the way there,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Iconic artist Keith Haring painted the mural in 1987. Michael Sofronski<\/p>\n

The Mayor\u2019s office did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n

A spokesperson for parks department said of the preservation process, <\/p>\n

\u201cWe understand the deep historical and emotional significance of the Tony Dapolito Center to the community. That\u2019s why the City is committed to honoring the site\u2019s legacy while delivering new, accessible, and future-ready recreational resources.<\/p>\n

As part of the Clarkson Street Corridor\u00a0initiative, we are investing in a reimagined outdoor pool and pool house at the current Tony Dapolito site. This includes preserving the iconic Keith Haring mural and expanding recreational offerings with a new, fully accessible indoor recreation center to be built nearby at\u00a0388 Hudson Street.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"West Village preservationist groups are outraged over the city\u2019s recently announced plan to demolish and replace the beloved…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":130040,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[746,42133,12176,5248,5227,31655,159,67,132,68,1154,19146],"class_list":{"0":"post-130039","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-environment","8":"tag-environment","9":"tag-landmarks-preservation-commission","10":"tag-mayor","11":"tag-metro","12":"tag-nyc","13":"tag-pools","14":"tag-science","15":"tag-united-states","16":"tag-unitedstates","17":"tag-us","18":"tag-us-news","19":"tag-west-village"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/114995229035781769","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130039","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=130039"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/130039\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/130040"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=130039"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=130039"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=130039"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}