Historic West Village rec center set for $51 million makeover

A historic West Village rec center at risk of collapse will be rebuilt at a cost of $51 million under Mayor Eric Adams’ latest proposed budget.

The Tony Dapolito Recreation Center in the West Village has been closed since 2019 due to severe structural issues. Adams wants to give the city parks department funding to demolish the building on Clarkson Street and replace it with a new one the agency says will better serve the community and incorporate elements of the original structure, including the famed 170-foot Keith Haring mural by the outdoor pool.

“ We're just so thrilled to have this funding,” outgoing Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue said. “It’s going to be an extraordinary investment in that community with the funding for the brand new rec center and now an additional $51 million for a new outdoor pool.”

There’s no clear timeline for when New Yorkers will be able to enjoy the new space.

The parks department said last summer that it would cost $20 million to keep the century-old building from collapsing. Electronic monitors remain in place to alert parks officials of a potential collapse.

The money to replace the building is part of the mayor’s $115.1 billion executive budget proposal, which the Adams administration is negotiating with the City Council.

Some local groups oppose the razing of the historic building and called on the parks department and local officials to figure out a plan to save it.

"It is unfathomable that in a city flush with wealth, our public institutions are being neglected and ultimately dismantled," said Sommer Omar, the founder of the Coalition to Save the Public Recreation Center Downtown.

“We urge the city to reverse course, invest in repairs, and recommit to a future where public resources are treated as essential, not disposable."

Donoghue said the structure is too compromised to restore.

“We feel like the best path forward is demolishing that building and reimagining it with the community as outdoor recreation space, an outdoor pool, which has been missing from the neighborhood for far too long,” she said.