Following the shocking announcement by Parks Commissioner Shimamura at an August 5 meeting that in spite of Mayor Mamdani’s campaign pledge  the City would be moving ahead with pursuing demolition of the beloved landmarked Tony Dapolito Recreation Center, opposition to the plan has come from across the city and state. Village Preservation has organized statewide, citywide, and local NYC preservation organizations to call on the Mayor to keep his pledge and on the Parks Commissioner to drop her demolition plan and preserve the Center — READ THE JOINT LETTER HERE. 

As we and our fellow preservation organizations have noted, the Parks Department’s demolition plans for the Dapolito Recreation Center have grave implications far beyond this site. If the City — or any property owner — can simply claim it’s more convenient or “more efficient” to demolish a landmarked property than repair it, none of our city’s 40,000 landmarked properties, which includes a good chunk of our neighborhoods, are safe. (Note that the Parks Department’s claim that it would be impossible or even impractical to repair the building has been debunked; they are now merely claiming it would be easier not to). The Parks Department is arguing that they’d rather put any recreational facilities in the area into a new, as-yet-unbuilt structure at 388 Hudson Street, so there would be no need for a repaired and reopened Dapolito Center. 

The Parks Department will be reporting on their plans for 388 Hudson Street at Community Board 2’s Parks Committee meeting on Wednesday, September 9 at 6:30 pm (location and other details TBA; remote option should be available). It’s CRITICAL we’re there to tell the Parks Department and Community Board 2 that any plan for new recreation facilities at 388 Hudson Street MUST also include plans for repaired and reopened recreation facilities at the Tony Dapolito Recreation Center. 

TO HELP:

And SAVE THE DATE for Wednesday, September 9 at 6:30 pm to attend and testify at the Community Board 2 Parks Committee hearing on 388 Hudson Street and other local items (more details to come).