The long-shuttered Jacob Riis Park Bathhouse in the Rockaways has officially wrapped a years-long restoration, transforming the once-grand 1930s seaside palace into a reborn waterfront complex<\/a> now being dubbed \u201cThe Rockaway Ocean Club.\u201d<\/p>\n When it opened in 1932, the bathhouse was basically New York\u2019s original summer flex, as per Secret NYC<\/a>. It was a sprawling oceanfront destination where tens of thousands of beachgoers cycled through changing rooms, danced under orchestras, and pretended sunscreen wasn\u2019t optional.<\/p>\n At its peak, the complex could handle crowds so massive that it made modern beach weekends look like a private cabana situation.<\/p>\n Then came the long fade-out: by 1972, the doors were locked, the lights went out, and the building was left to weather hurricanes, salt air, and the occasional lifeguard office cameo.<\/p>\n Now, after a painstaking restoration led in part by NYC Parks and private partners, the bathhouse has been rebuilt to thread the needle between historic preservation and \u201cplease don\u2019t flood immediately.\u201d<\/p>\n The revived complex includes a redesigned boardwalk lined with food and drink options \u2014 from coffee and juice to pizza, gelato, and beach-day essentials you forgot in your tote bag (sunblock, towels, and regret prevention, presumably).<\/p>\n There\u2019s also a central courtyard built for maximum summer energy, plus plans for a rooftop restaurant with sweeping ocean views.<\/p>\n Even more ambitious: a future 28-room boutique hotel, meaning New Yorkers may soon be able to stay overnight without leaving sand in an Uber.<\/p>\n While much of the restored space remains open to all, part of the project introduces a members-only beach club \u2014 a kind of \u201cintergenerational country club,\u201d managed by operators with ties to the Soho House universe<\/a>, including Soho House & Co.<\/p>\n Expect private lounges, ocean views, and a 162-person pool \u2014 because apparently the ocean itself was not exclusive enough.<\/p>\n Memberships reportedly range from roughly $1,000 for local peninsula residents to $3,500 for families from further afield, which has already sparked the usual New York mix of eyebrow raises, group chats, and think pieces in waiting.<\/p>\n Select boardwalk vendors and the central courtyard are expected to open over Fourth of July weekend, with additional features rolling out in phases after that.<\/p>\n While Riis is getting its long-overdue seaside glow-up, it\u2019s not the only vintage New York landmark staging a dramatic comeback.<\/p>\n![\"Construction](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1930s-art-deco-landmark-transformed-128146085.jpg\")
After 54 years of collecting salt air and abandonment, the Jacob Riis Park Bathhouse is finally back after an $88 million glow-up. Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Post<\/p>\n![\"Illustration](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/1930s-art-deco-landmark-known-128146121.jpg\")
Queens\u2019 Jacob Riis Park \u2014 long dubbed \u201cThe People\u2019s Beach\u201d \u2014 has spent decades packing sunseekers, surfers and snack-chasers onto its mile-long shoreline and foodie-famous boardwalk. Luiz C. Ribeiro for NY Post<\/p>\n