Red Hook Park

Red Hook Recreation Area
Map
LocationRed Hook, Brooklyn, New York
Coordinates40°40′22″N 74°00′14″W / 40.67278°N 74.00389°W / 40.67278; -74.00389
Area58.5 acres (23.7 ha)
Created1936 (pool), 1940 (park)
Operated byNew York City Department of Parks and Recreation
Statusopen
Public transit accessNew York City Subway: Smith–Ninth Streets ("F" train"G" train trains)
New York City Bus: B57, B61[1]
DesignatedJune 26, 2007[2]
Reference no.2241[2]
Designated entityBathhouse facade and pool
Superfund site
Information
CERCLIS IDNYN000202712,[3] NYN000206593[4]
ContaminantsLead
Responsible
parties
Columbia Smelting & Refining Works
List of Superfund sites

Red Hook Recreation Area, also known as Red Hook Park, is a 58.5-acre (237,000 m2) public park in the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City, composed of several segments centered around Bay Street. The park's recreational facilities include handball courts, softball fields, a soccer and football field, and a running track. The Sol Goldman Play Center, within the block bounded by Bay, Henry, Lorraine and Clinton Streets, consists of a brick bathhouse and two pools. The park is operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation, also known as NYC Parks.

The land for the park was acquired starting in 1913 and was transferred to NYC Parks in 1934. Joseph L. Hautman designed the pool, which was constructed from 1935 to 1936 as part of a Works Progress Administration project. The rest of the park opened in 1940. The pool was extensively refurbished from 1983 to 1986; it was renamed for Sol Goldman in 1991 after he donated funds to keep the pool open. The New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission designated the Sol Goldman Play Center as a city landmark in 2007. As a result of extensive lead contamination, the fields were closed and renovated in phases starting in 2019.

  1. ^ "Brooklyn Bus Map" (PDF). Metropolitan Transportation Authority. October 2020. Retrieved December 1, 2020.
  2. ^ a b Landmarks Preservation Commission 2007, p. 1.
  3. ^ "Superfund Site Information: Red Hook Park". United States Environmental Protection Agency.
  4. ^ TRC Engineers, Inc. (September 2023). "Former Columbia Smelting and Refining Works Site a.k.a. Red Hook Recreation Area Ball Fields 5 – 8 and Ball Field 9" (PDF). New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, New York City Department of Parks and Recreation. Retrieved September 15, 2024.