Swim With The Goldfishes: Pool School Opening At UES Lester's Site

UPPER EAST SIDE — The site of a now-closed children's clothing store on the Upper East Side will soon see local kids swimming with the goldfishes.

Goldfish Swim School will open its first Manhattan location at the former home of Lester's on Second Avenue and East 80th Street, according to a recent report.

The national swimming school franchise did not respond to multiple requests for confirmation from Patch, but the New York Post reports Goldfish Swim School plans to begin renovations early in 2023.

"The corner is iconic," New York region president Val Paese told the Post. "To be able to go into a space like that is unbelievable."

The 9,530-square-foot building at 1534 Second Ave. will get a 4-foot-deep pool — 70 feet long and 22 feet wide — and a viewing area for proud goldfish parents, according to the Post and city records.

Goldfish Swim boasts 185,000 swimmers in more than 125 schools across the U.S. and in Canada, according to a recent press release.

The schools promises "shiver-free" pools kept at 90 degrees, classes for kids ages 4 months and up, and a maximum student-teacher ratio of 4:1, according to the Goldfish Swim website.

Annual memberships range between $25 and $1,488 and monthly swim lessons cost between $124 and $160.

"Our swimming classes for kids are all about momentum," the Goldfish Swim School website reads.

"It’s about showing kids that they are something, will be something and, whether that’s the next president or a role in the school play, that something will be undeniably them."