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SITE ANALYSIS: McCARREN POOL IN BROOKLYN

Brief History

McCarren Pool, in Greenpoint, was the last of eleven pools built in New York City in 1936, in the heart of the Depression era. The Pool stands across from McCarren Park, developed between 1903 and 1905, which takes its name from Patrick McCarren, ward heeler, state legislator and Williamsburg Bridge promoter in the late 19th Century.

Location

Take the L train to the Bedford Avenue stop in Brooklyn. Walk north on Bedford to Lorimer Street, take a right on Lorimer. The Main Arch of the pool is on the left on Lorimer St. between
Driggs & Bayard Ave.

Or take the G train to Metropolitan Avenue. Walk out of the station and cross Metropolitan on Union. Walk up Union under the BQE overpass until you reach Roebling. 
Make a right and walk one block to Lorimer.

Site Analysis

McCarren Pool is a jewel in the heart of gentrified Brooklyn. I have never come across such a charged, exciting, challenging site in my life in this city. It has been abandoned for quite some time and the aesthetic could be very discouraging at first, but the character and potential of this environment quickly come across if given a second glance. The structure is gigantic, dark red and almost fascist-looking in its simple but massive geometry of straight lines and arches, which definitely make it stand out in such a construction-hungry and constantly changing neighborhood like Brooklyn.
I was very surprised to find out that not only it has been in this state for long, as the worn structural design, the chipping paint and exposed bricks can testify, but it also has been used numerous times as a cultural site in the past few years.

Talking to people in the surrounding neighborhood, two were the most common sentiments: some were ashamed of the state of the Pool and were looking forward to it being possibly demolished and substituted by something more functional and necessary, others find it a very interesting space that could very well be brought back to a functioning condition and used as a meeting location for the entire community to come together, celebrate and collaborate.
Access to the site was temporary denied when I visited, as it had been secured with locks and chains and sings of dangerous zone, although it seems as though it’s accessible at other times especially recently since a few associations and city offices have been coming together to decide the fate of this undiscovered and under appreciated marvel. Interestingly enough my main point of entry into this Pool was through technologies like the Internet and specifically Google Earth, as I managed to really explore the entire structure of the space by zooming into it through an aerial view.

When approaching the site, because of its roughness and state of abandonment, a general sense of excitement I think takes over any adventurer; the forbidden aspect of being there and wanting to penetrate this space even by climbing over fenced gates and rusty doors, creates from the very beginning a quite interesting experience. Through the gates I peaked inside and was suddenly drawn to the contrast between the color of the structure, burgundy or brick red, and the pale fading blue of the actual interior of the pool. The distinction is so strong and vibrant that I still almost believed there was water; the color so peaceful and cool I wanted it to be summer again so that I could go dive into it. The graffiti on the inside walls of the pool stood as a reminder that this is still NYC, a pulsing urban environment, and that given the time passing and the economy changing, what once was a very appreciated oasis of refreshing waters is now a site of controversy and open debates. As much as I no longer look at it as a working pool, it still is one.

The big entrance, the right angles and typical rectangular pool shape, the cement pathways around the perimeter, they all clearly inform this space which was once intended for a very specific purpose, but now that the water is gone and weeds are breaking through the limestone, I can’t help but imagine what it could be. I perceive it as a relic, an historical structure that shouldn’t be deformed, but should be instead reinvented within its existing characteristics. Not many structures or artifacts survive to an old age in this country; things always seem to be replaced by new things and old buildings are often pulled down to give birth to more lucrative enterprises. Because of this process, 1936 seems like a long time ago and so why not give this environment an honest chance to age? I have always loved the idea of reinventing a space, restoring it and then reorganizing it to fit a completely different set of goals and accommodate diverse people, and because of this personal interest, the Pool just represented one of the greatest examples for this challenging process. I can’t help but envision music concerts and stages being built and organized in the middle of the pool, very much like past initiatives like the Pool Parties; I also see this site as possible open air movie theatre in the summer time, art gallery for video and site specific installations, performances and dances of all kinds that can bring all the coexisting cultures inhabiting the neighborhood together in a mutual productive exchange.

The Pool itself very well can serve as platform for markets, kids events like puppet theatres and arts and crafts classes, family events and panel discussions in the same way as it can lend itself to all kinds of sports like skateboarding so that kids wouldn’t have to skate in illegal locations, rollerblading which is forbidden on most sidewalks and pathways, and in the winter it could function as an ice skating rink. Or even as a beautiful reinvented garden or sculpture park it would add to the great borough it’s located in. Recently the Park Department of NYC decided to issue a public Request for Proposals for performances and possible public events to be held in the Pool for a total, I believe, of a four year concession, and I came across a wonderful initiative, called SENS, that is trying to take advantage of this opportunity to permanently reopen the Pool by the summer of 2007. The foundation’s main goals are to fund and manage substantial improvements while preserving the existing architecture, they plan to implement constantly new activities in this space, and basically they hope to restore the pool and turn it into a state-of-the-art cultural/recreational and artistic center that will promote established as well as incoming, local and international artists. I would be absolutely thrilled to be involved in any of these activities as I can already personally conceive a performance that would be ideal of this location, as it would revolve around the theme of the Tsunami of 2004.

Resources:

http://www.thepoolparties.com/
http://sensproduction.org/current/pool4.php
http://www.forgotten-ny.com/STREET%20SCENES/mccarrenpool/mccarren.html
http://www.bridgeandtunnelclub.com/bigmap/brooklyn/greenpoint/mccarrenpk/pool/index.htm