After 4 Years, Central Park's Stunning New $160M Center Is Open

HARLEM, NY — After more than four years of construction and $160 million to revamp the eyesore that was Lasker Rink and Pool at the northernmost end of Central Park, the Davis Center is officially open.

To mark the occasion, the Central Park Conservancy cut the ribbon on Friday. On Saturday, the space will host a community celebration featuring activities for the whole family, food and drink, and live performances on the facility’s new Harlem Oval, beginning at 12 p.m.

The new center will act as a community hub with programming, amenities, and concessions for the new ice rink, swimming pool or grassy lawn, depending on the season.

Unlike the old rink space, which was only open during the winter and summer, during fall and spring, the new oval at the Davis Center will be fitted with turf so that the space can continuously be used as a relaxing lawn called the Harlem Oval.

"I’m especially excited for the family-friendly celebration on the Harlem Oval, showcasing local talent and inviting all New Yorkers the opportunity to explore this transformative space. The Davis Center will strengthen Harlem’s spirit and bring us together through diverse, accessible programming," Harlem Councilmember Yusef Salaam said.

Inside the center

The new Davis Center is built discreetly into the side of a hill in the Harlem Meer, with a landscaped roof you can walk across, like a futuristic Earth ship.

This is a stark, intentional difference from the old center, which was a grey cement block that jutted out awkwardly from the land and surrounded the Lasker Rink and Pool with a big wall, Christopher Nolan, the project executive and Central Park's former chief landscape architect, said.

The new center was built to frame Central Park, not obscure it, and connect it to the rest of the space, Nolan said.

In fact, as part of the renovation, workers had to change the size, shape, and location of the pool and rink space, in order to unblock a natural creek that the old rink covered up.

"[The Davis Center] is a frame for experiencing the landscape," Nolan said. "The building kind of unfolds."

Despite being built around 30 feet directly into the ground, the new space feels light, due to a glass wall with shifting glass panes that can open to allow fresh air into the building during the warmer months, and a skylight that slices through the planted roof.

This gives it an indoor-outdoor living room feel, which was intentional.

"Our concept was to essentially create an outdoor room," Nolan said.

The Harlem Meer, a natural landscape with a burbling spring, once obstructed by the Lasker Rink, is now the centerpiece.

"The historic Harlem Meer is one of Central Park’s greatest gems, so I’m thrilled that the new Davis Center’s programming and facilities will offer endless ways for visitors to connect with the Meer," Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine said. "Between fitness activities, cultural events, and youth programs, the Davis Center has something for everyone, and I’m particularly thrilled that the center was designed with opportunities for the neighboring communities in mind."

Free and low-cost programming for the space

The new programming model for the space is "public programming over profit" Leah Day VanHorn, the Central Park Conservancy's chief of staff and vice president of strategy and programming, told Patch.

The Davis Center will work with local arts and sports nonprofits based near the north end of the park, like the Harlem School of the Arts, MultiTasking Yogi, Go Hard Dance!, Figure Skating In Harlem and the Central Park North Stars, and many more, to provide free and low-cost programming year-round in the space.

The pool, which will be free to use, will open in early June.

"Central Park is a place for all," Day VanHorn said.

Learn more about the space here.

For questions and tips, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.