The new Gottesman Pool opened in Central Park just over two weeks ago, and some New Yorkers have already called it a “disaster.”
The massive outdoor pool opened on June 27, but swimmers are already reporting three-hour waits, excessive crowds, and fighting. Some New Yorkers on social media have expressed concern about swimming in the oval-shaped, 285-by-120-foot pool.
“I saw this pool after hours. No joke, there was like a two-inch slick over the top of the entire pool,” one pool-goer said. “I literally wretched looking at it.”
There is a bevy of videos on social media showing the pool on various days, including one by Mark Beshae posted on Instagram. In the video, officers are seen escorting swimmers off the premises while others are in what appears to be a long line of people waiting to get in and cool off.
“A bunch of fights have already broken out, on top of the fact that anyone is allowed in without any ID or age requirement,” Beshae reports in the video. “The line just to get in, since it’s completely free, has been at least two to three hours any time it’s open.”
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amNewYork visited the pool on July 9, when temperatures reached a sweltering 87 degrees in the city. Although the pool was crowded, swimmers appeared to be having a good time and the line to get in was reasonable.
The pool is in the same location as the former Lasker Pool and Rink, which closed in 2021. As one of the largest public pools in the city, the Gottesman Pool can accommodate up to 1,000 swimmers.
The parks department manages the swimming facility, which opened as part of a $160 million Davis Center project near the Harlem Meer.
NYC Parks Commissioner Iris Rodriguez-Rosa applauded the new swim center in a June 26 press release about the city’s public pool season.
“We’re thrilled to welcome people, for the first time, to the Gottesman Pool, a new crown jewel for the Harlem community, which will serve as a dynamic and welcoming space for recreation and public programs,” she said.
A parks department spokesperson told amNewYork that there is often a line to enter NYC public pools. She explained that the pool is growing in popularity and New Yorkers come from every borough to use it.
Meanwhile, the Central Park Conservancy’s website advises New Yorkers planning to visit the pool to “arrive early during peak summer days to secure a spot.”
