{{coord|40.796464|-73.954626|display=title}} {{Short description|Ice rink and swimming pool in New York City}} {{Use mdy dates|date=April 2025}} thumb|upright=1.5|Davis Center as viewed from East Drive in 2025, the day after the opening. {{Central Park map|lat=40.797|long=-73.957|zoom=14}}
The '''Davis Center''' (formally the '''Davis Center at the Harlem Meer''') is a seasonal ice skating rink and swimming pool at the southwest corner of the Harlem Meer in the northern part of Central Park in Manhattan, New York City. Completed in 2025, it was built on the site of '''Lasker Rink''' (formally known as the '''Loula D. Lasker Memorial Swimming Pool and Skating Rink'''). The original rink, designed by the architects Fordyce & Hamby Associates, operated from 1966 to 2021 and was demolished after its final operating season.
== History ==
=== Early history === The Davis Center and Lasker Rink site is located in the northernmost section of Central Park, north of 106th Street.<ref name="wsj-2025-04-23">{{Cite web |last=Lewis |first=Michael J. |date=April 23, 2025 |title=Central Park's New Davis Center: In Line With the Landscape |url=https://www.wsj.com/style/design/central-parks-new-davis-center-in-line-with-the-landscape-c090090e |access-date=April 25, 2025 |work=The Wall Street Journal |language=en-US |issn=0099-9660}}</ref> In 1962, the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation announced plans to build a swimming pool and ice skating rink in this area to cost $1.8 million. The rink would be built above the mouth of the Loch, at the southwestern corner of Harlem Meer.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1962/02/24/archives/central-park-to-get-swimming-pool-and-ice-rink-combined-110th-st.html|title=Central Park to Get Swimming Pool and Ice Rink; Combined 110th St. Facilities Will Cost $l,800,000|date=February 24, 1962|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 19, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The facility was named for Loula Davis Lasker (1886–1961), a philanthropist and social worker, and the daughter of German immigrant Morris Davis Lasker and sister of Albert Lasker, who donated $600,000 to help build the facility.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nycgovparks.org/about/history/women/philanthropists|title=Parks Named For Local Philanthropists|website=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation}}</ref> The work shrunk the Meer from {{Convert|10.6|acre||abbr=}} to {{Convert|8.1|acre||abbr=}}, and the Meer was temporarily drained to facilitate construction of the project.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1964/07/31/archives/go-to-the-park-get-stuck-in-the-mud-cause-a-big-commotion-and-then.html|title=Go to the Park, Get Stuck in the Mud, Cause a Big Commotion, and Then See What Mother Has to Say; LAKE BED IS FUN TO GET STUCK IN; Children Find Diversion in Drained Harlem Meer|date=July 31, 1964|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 19, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The rink was supposed to be completed in mid-1966, but flood damage caused by poor drainage prevented the pool from opening as scheduled.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/07/29/archives/park-floods-laid-to-poor-drainage-200000-damage-delayed-harlem-meer.html|title=PARK FLOODS LAID TO POOR DRAINAGE; $200,000 Damage Delayed Harlem Meer Pool Opening|date=July 29, 1966|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 19, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Lasker Rink opened on December 22, 1966.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/12/22/archives/lindsay-and-hoving-give-new-skating-rink-a-whirl.html|title=Lindsay and Hoving Give New Skating Rink a Whirl|date=December 22, 1966|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 19, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref>
thumb|upright=1.5|The former Lasker Rink looking down from East Drive, 2010 Lasker Rink was known to New Yorkers as being less crowded and less expensive than Wollman Rink, Central Park's other ice skating rink at the southern end of the park. Over the years, Lasker and other facilities in northern Central Park, which was surrounded by poorer neighborhoods, were generally not as well maintained as facilities in southern Central Park, which was surrounded by wealthier neighborhoods and had more tourists.<ref name="The New York Times 2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/18/nyregion/central-park-skating.html|title=$110 Million to Fix Central Park Section Far From 'Billionaire's Row'|date=September 18, 2019|website=The New York Times|access-date=September 19, 2019}}</ref> Several events such as a 1969 ice-skating competition were intended to draw public attention to the facility.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1969/12/07/archives/skaters-enliven-littleused-rink-race-is-staged-to-publicize-harlem.html|title=SKATERS ENLIVEN LITTLE-USED RINK; Race Is Staged to Publicize Harlem Meer Facility|last=Johnson|first=Rudy|date=December 7, 1969|work=The New York Times|access-date=January 19, 2020|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> By the late 20th century, the rink was rundown; Yusef Salaam, who later became a New York City Council member, said that he wore sneakers around the pool because it was so common to find broken glass there.<ref name="nyt-2025-04-23">{{Cite news |last=Kimmelman |first=Michael |date=April 23, 2025 |title=A Stunning New Pool in Central Park Helps Heal Old Wounds |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/23/arts/design/central-park-pool-harlem.html |access-date=April 25, 2025 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}}</ref> Justin Davidson, the architecture critic for ''Curbed'', described Lasker Rink as resembling "the back of a suburban supermarket".<ref name="Davidson u348">{{cite web |last=Davidson |first=Justin |date=April 28, 2025 |title=A Greener, Wilder Central Park Pool and Skating Rink |url=https://www.curbed.com/article/davis-center-pool-rink-recereation-central-park-harlem-meer.html |access-date=April 30, 2025 |website=Curbed}}</ref>
===Trump and M&T concessions=== In 1986, real estate developer Donald Trump made an offer to New York City mayor Ed Koch to rebuild at no cost the deteriorating Wollman Rink in return for a franchise to operate the rink and an adjacent restaurant to recoup his costs.<ref name="freedlander">{{Cite web|url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2015-09-29/a-1980s-new-york-city-battle-explains-donald-trump-s-candidacy|title=A 1980s New York City Battle Explains Donald Trump's Candidacy|last=Freedlander|first=David|date=September 29, 2015|website=Bloomberg|access-date=May 9, 2018}}</ref><ref name="daley">{{Cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1986/06/07/nyregion/trump-to-rebuild-wollman-rink-at-the-city-s-expense-by-dec-15.html|title=Trump to Rebuild Wollman Rink at the City's Expense by Dec. 15|last=Daley|first=Suzanne|date=June 6, 1986|website=The New York Times|access-date=May 9, 2018}}</ref> As part of the agreement to keep operating Wollman Rink, Trump agreed to also take a concession for Lasker Rink, and the Trump Organization won concessions for the rinks in 1987.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1987/10/15/nyregion/trump-to-run-2-ice-skating-rinks-in-central-park.html|title=Trump to Run 2 Ice-Skating Rinks in Central Park|last=Anderson|first=Susan Heller|date=October 15, 1987|work=The New York Times|access-date=April 18, 2019|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> The Trump Organization held the concession until 1995, when M&T Pretzel Inc. outbid Trump for a six-year contract to operate Wollman and Lasker skating rinks.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lambert |first=Bruce |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1995/09/17/nyregion/neighborhood-report-central-park-hot-dog-kings-outbid-trump-for-wollman.html |title=Hot Dog Kings Outbid Trump For Wollman |work=The New York Times |date=September 17, 1995 |access-date=May 23, 2021}}</ref>
A Trump-owned subsidiary, Wollman Rink Operations LLC, won another concession in 2001 to operate the rinks until April 30, 2021.<ref name="WaPo1">{{Cite news|last=Bump|first=Philip|date=May 16, 2018|title=Trump has earned $59 million in three years running attractions for New York City|language=en-US|work=Washington Post|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/05/16/trump-has-earned-59-million-in-three-years-running-attractions-for-new-york-city/|access-date=June 5, 2018|issn=0190-8286}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=July 5, 2007|title=Audit Report On The Compliance Of Wollman Rink Operations Llc With Its License Agreement And Payment Of License Fees Due|url=https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/audit-report-on-the-compliance-of-wollman-rink-operations-llc-with-its-license-agreement-and-payment-of-license-fees-due/|access-date=May 30, 2019|website=New York City Comptroller}}</ref> Wollman Rink Operations LLC is owned by DJT Holdings LLC which was owned by the Donald J. Trump Revocable Trust for the duration of Trump's first presidency.<ref name="WaPo1" /> In 2019, the Trump Organization removed the Trump name from most signs and logos at both Wollman and Lasker Rinks without giving a reason.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Shanahan|first=Ed|date=October 10, 2019|title=Trump's Company Wipes His Name From New York City Skating Rinks That It Runs|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/10/22/nyregion/trump-skating-rinks.html|access-date=January 19, 2020}}</ref>
On January 13, 2021, New York City mayor Bill de Blasio announced that the city government would be severing all contracts with the Trump Organization, saying Trump had been involved in the previous week's storming of the United States Capitol. The cancellation of the Trump Organization's contracts to operate Wollman Rink, Lasker Rink, and the Central Park Carousel was supposed to go into effect on February 26.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Fitzsimmons|first=Emma G.|date=January 13, 2021|title=New York City Will End Contracts With Trump Over Capitol Riot|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/01/13/nyregion/nyc-trump-golf-carousel-ice-rinks.html|access-date=January 13, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=January 13, 2021|title=NYC to Sever City Contracts With Trump Organization Over President's 'Criminal Act'|url=https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/nyc-severing-all-city-contracts-with-trump-organization/2828906/|access-date=January 13, 2021|work=NBC}}</ref> The city later allowed the rinks to stay open until the scheduled end of the skating season.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Barnard|first1=Anne|last2=Kvetenadze|first2=Téa|date=February 21, 2021|title=Central Park Ice Rinks Remain Open Despite Rift With Trump, Mayor Says|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/21/nyregion/trump-skating-rink-central-park.html|access-date=May 23, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Siese|first=April|date=February 22, 2021|title=Central Park ice rinks to stay open for remainder of season following dispute with Trump Organization|work=CBS News|url=https://www.cbsnews.com/news/central-park-ice-rinks-operated-by-trump-organization-to-stay-open-for-rest-of-season/|access-date=February 22, 2021}}</ref> The Trump concession expired on April 30, 2021. Because of the rink's planned renovation (see {{section link||Replacement}}), NYC Parks did not select a new concessionaire at that time.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://apnews.com/article/business-c7e577c6fe947ed078b5cdd1a3c4f8ec|title=New operator chosen for NYC ice rink formerly run by Trump|last=Matthews|first=Karen|date=July 6, 2021|work=Associated Press|access-date=July 6, 2021|language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Gartland 2021">{{cite web | last=Gartland | first=Michael | title=With Trump out, NYC awards control of Wollman Rink to Related, NJ Devils' owners | website=New York Daily News | date=July 6, 2021 | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/new-york-elections-government/ny-nyc-de-blasio-wollman-rink-central-park-20210706-hksczp72kvaunotb5aw6mn3jz4-story.html | access-date=July 7, 2021}}</ref>
===Replacement=== Plans for replacing Lasker Rink date to 2015.<ref name="The New York Times 2019" /> In November 2015, a few weeks after the start of the 2015–2016 skating season, faulty drainage forced an emergency closure of the rink; at the time, the rink was planned to remain closed for the rest of the season.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Fitzsimmons|first=Emma G.|date=November 15, 2014|title=Parks Department Will Try to Reopen Lasker Rink at Central Park|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/16/nyregion/parks-department-will-try-to-reopen-lasker-rink-at-central-park.html|access-date=January 19, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> After repairs to the rink progressed at a faster rate than originally expected,<ref>{{Cite news|last=Foderaro|first=Lisa W.|date=November 21, 2014|title=Lasker Rink in Central Park Might Open Earlier Than Expected|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/22/nyregion/parks-department-may-open-central-parks-lasker-rink-earlier-than-expected.html|access-date=January 19, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> it reopened two weeks after the initial closure.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Foderaro|first=Lisa W.|date=November 26, 2014|title=Lasker Rink in Central Park Is to Reopen on Thanksgiving|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/11/27/nyregion/ice-rink-in-central-park-is-to-reopen-thursday.html|access-date=January 19, 2020|issn=0362-4331}}</ref> A $150 million project to replace Lasker Rink with a new facility was officially announced in 2018. Initial plans called for the project to be completed by 2023.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/ny-pol-lasker-pool-rink-central-park-20180717-story.html|title=Central Park's Lasker pool and ice rink set for $150 million makeover|last=Durkin|first=Erin|date=July 18, 2018|website=nydailynews.com|access-date=April 17, 2019}}</ref> At the time, the rink was prone to flooding, and it stood empty for several months a year, when it could not be used as either a pool or a rink due to cool weather. In addition, the rink's paint had begun to peel.<ref name="Shapiro v916">{{cite web |last=Shapiro |first=Eliza |date=October 9, 2024 |title=$160 Million Later, New Pool and Rink Will Replace Central Park Eyesore |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/09/nyregion/central-park-harlem-meer-center.html |access-date=October 10, 2024 |website=The New York Times}}</ref>
The Central Park Conservancy hosted public hearings on the plans. Neighborhood residents expressed concern about the possibility of the rink closing and the fact that the conservancy was more involved in projects near wealthier neighborhoods at the southern end of the park.<ref name="nyt-2025-04-23" /> Updated plans were published in 2019, in which the rink would be closed between late 2021 and 2024. Some $150 million was to be budgeted to the project, but the renovation itself would cost $110 million, while proposed new programming would cost $40 million, The city had budgeted $50 million and the Central Park Conservancy was raising the remainder.<ref name="The New York Times 2019" /><ref name=":0">{{cite web|url=https://www.amny.com/news/central-park-conservancy-redesign-1.36506820|title=Central Park's $150M redesign focuses on north end improvements|last=Cohen|first=Li Yakira|date=September 18, 2019|website=AM New York|publisher=Newsday|access-date=September 19, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Glasser-Baker 2019">{{cite web|url=https://www.metro.us/news/local-news/new-york/central-park-new-improved-year-round-pool-rink|title=Central Park to get new, improved pool and ice-skating rink|last=Glasser-Baker|first=Becca|date=September 18, 2019|website=Metro US|access-date=September 19, 2019}}</ref> As part of the plan, the Loch running underneath Lasker Rink would be restored to a more natural state, necessitating the demolition of the existing rink's bulky structure and surrounding paths. The new center would be built on the shore of the Harlem Meer lake.<ref name="The New York Times 2019" /> This would reconnect the Loch with the North Woods.<ref name="Beckstrom g987">{{cite web |last=Beckstrom |first=Dani |date=October 5, 2022 |title=A look at the construction of Central Park's new Harlem Meer Center on track for 2024 opening |url=https://abc7ny.com/central-park-harlem-meer-center-north-woods-construction/12297546/ |access-date=October 10, 2024 |website=ABC7 New York}}</ref>
Demolition and reconstruction was scheduled to begin in early 2021,<ref name="Weaver 2021">{{cite web|last=Weaver|first=Shaye|date=March 19, 2021|title=See how different Central Park's Lasker Rink will look after its reconstruction|url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/see-how-different-central-parks-lasker-rink-will-look-after-its-reconstruction-031921|access-date=March 19, 2021|website=Time Out New York}}</ref><ref name="Garber 2021">{{cite web|last=Garber|first=Nick|date=March 11, 2021|title=Harlem Meer, Lasker Rink Revamp Set To Start In Central Park|url=https://patch.com/new-york/harlem/harlem-meer-lasker-rink-revamp-set-start-central-park|access-date=March 19, 2021|website=Harlem, NY Patch}}</ref> and a groundbreaking ceremony for the project began in September 2021.<ref>{{cite web | last=Garber | first=Nick | title=Harlem Meer, Lasker Rink Renovations Break Ground In Central Park | website=Harlem, NY Patch | date=September 15, 2021 | url=https://patch.com/new-york/harlem/harlem-meer-lasker-rink-renovations-break-ground-central-park | access-date=September 3, 2022}}</ref> As part of the project, a temporary dam was constructed around the Meer, allowing workers to develop the pool and rink behind the dam.<ref name="Beckstrom g987" /> By late 2024, the cost of the new Lasker Rink's reconstruction had risen to $160 million;<ref name="Shapiro v916" /> the Central Park Conservancy provided $100 million of this funding, while the city government provided the remaining balance.<ref name="wsj-2025-04-23" /><ref name="nyt-2025-04-23" /> At the time, the rink and pool were planned to open in 2025.<ref name="Shapiro v916" /><ref name="Quigley x369">{{cite web |last=Quigley |first=Liam |date=November 9, 2024 |title=Sprawling new rec center at Central Park's Harlem Meer lake to open next spring |url=https://gothamist.com/news/sprawling-new-rec-center-at-central-parks-harlem-meer-lake-to-open-next-spring |access-date=November 11, 2024 |website=Gothamist}}</ref> The rink was planned to be renamed for several donors who had provided funds for the rink's reconstruction.<ref name="Shapiro v916" /> That November, it was announced that the new recreation center would be known as Davis Center at the Harlem Meer.<ref name="Quigley x369" /> The Central Park Conservancy announced in March 2025 that the new recreation center would open on April 26,<ref>{{cite web | last=Rahmanan | first=Anna | title=See renderings of the giant new pool opening in Central Park next month | website=Time Out New York | date=March 13, 2025 | url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/see-renderings-of-the-giant-new-pool-opening-in-central-park-next-month-031225 | access-date=March 14, 2025}}</ref><ref>{{cite web | last=Ginsburg | first=Aaron | title=Central Park to open huge new rec center with pool and ice rink in April | website=6sqft | date=March 12, 2025 | url=https://www.6sqft.com/central-park-to-open-huge-new-rec-center-with-pool-and-ice-rink-in-april/ | access-date=March 14, 2025}}</ref> and Davis Center opened as scheduled on that date.<ref>{{cite web |last=Ratliff |first=Laura |date=April 25, 2025 |title=Central Park’s new community hub just opened—and it’s gorgeous |url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/see-the-exciting-pictures-of-the-new-community-hub-that-just-opened-in-central-park-042525 |access-date=April 27, 2025 |website=Time Out New York}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Duddridge |first=Natalie |date=April 25, 2025 |title=NYC's Central Park hosts ribbon cutting for new Davis Center at the Harlem Meer |url=https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/central-park-davis-center-harlem-meer/ |access-date=April 27, 2025 |website=CBS New York}}</ref> In contrast to Lasker Rink, which had been leased out to private operators, Davis Center was managed directly by the Central Park Conservancy.<ref name="Davidson u348" /> The Gottesman Pool opened within Davis Center in June 2025.<ref name="Ratliff2025">{{cite web |last=Ratliff |first=Laura |date=June 24, 2025 |title=NYC's most beautiful new public pool opens this week |url=https://www.timeout.com/newyork/news/this-new-nyc-pool-is-one-of-the-largest-in-the-city-and-its-opening-this-week-062325 |access-date=June 25, 2025 |website=Time Out New York}}</ref><ref name="Quigley2025">{{cite web |last=Quigley |first=Liam |date=June 23, 2025 |title=New pool near Central Park's Harlem Meer opens Friday |url=https://gothamist.com/news/new-pool-near-central-parks-harlem-meer-opens-friday |access-date=June 25, 2025 |website=Gothamist}}</ref>
== Use ==
=== Davis Center ===
Davis Center is located on the shore of Harlem Meer in the northern part of Central Park,<ref name="Clark q158">{{cite web |last=Clark |first=Roger |date=April 25, 2025 |title=Blending into nature: New north end for Central Park as Davis Center opens |url=https://ny1.com/nyc/all-boroughs/news/2025/04/24/central-park--davis-center--swimming--ice-skating |access-date=April 25, 2025 |website=Spectrum News NY1}}</ref> east of the site of the previous rink.<ref name="The New York Times 2019" /> Christopher Nolan was the landscape architect, John Doherty was the executive architect, and Susan T. Rodriguez was the design architect for the project.<ref name="wsj-2025-04-23" /><ref name="Clark q158" /><ref name="designboom e827">{{cite web |last=Tsimpou |first=Thomai |date=April 24, 2025 |title=A Giant Pool Opens in New York's Central Park – See What the New Davis Center Will Look Like |url=https://www.designboom.com/architecture/giant-pool-new-york-central-park-new-davis-center-susan-t-rodriguez-mitchell-giurgola-04-24-2025/ |access-date=April 25, 2025 |website=designboom}}</ref> Like the old Lasker Rink, Davis Center presents programs throughout the year.<ref name="designboom e827" /> A boardwalk is located alongside the southern edge of Harlem Meer.<ref name="nyt-2025-04-23" /> The center also includes a {{Convert|34000|ft2|adj=on}} building,<ref name="Shapiro v916" /><ref name="wsj-2025-04-23" /> whose design was based on the landscape of the ravine surrounding the Harlem Meer.<ref name="wsj-2025-04-23" />
The facility is set within a slope, containing a new pool at a lower elevation than the previous pool.<ref name=":0" /><ref name="Glasser-Baker 2019" /> The pool, known as the Gottesman Pool,<ref name="Ratliff2025" /><ref name="Quigley2025" /> is an oval measuring {{Convert|120|by|285|ft}} across,<ref name="wsj-2025-04-23" /> accessed by a large set of glass doors.<ref name="nyt-2025-04-23" /><ref name="Davidson u348" /> During the winter, the pool could be converted into a rink, while during the spring and fall, it could be used as a lawn.<ref name="Davidson u348" />
The structure itself was designed to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold standards, reusing materials from the old rink.<ref name="designboom e827" /> The facade is made of Adirondack Mountains stone,<ref name="Davidson u348" /><ref name="Shapiro v916" /> Inside Davis Center is a great hall, with the glass entrance doors on one side and a natural-looking wall (an extension of the facade) on the other side.<ref name="Davidson u348" /> The interior includes bathrooms, lockers, and machinery that treats water from the pool,<ref name="wsj-2025-04-23" /> and the ceiling is made of Douglas fir beams.<ref name="Davidson u348" /> The building's green roof has a skylight,<ref name="wsj-2025-04-23" /><ref name="Davidson u348" /> as well as a walkway that is linked with the boardwalk.<ref name="Davidson u348" /><ref name="Clark q158" /> A writer for ''The Wall Street Journal'' wrote that the new design "regards the park as a work of landscape art, whose natural topography should dictate its architecture",<ref name="wsj-2025-04-23" /> while Justin Davidson said the center "feels open and airy".<ref name="Davidson u348" />
=== Lasker Rink === The Lasker facility was used as a swimming pool in the summer and a skating/hockey rink during the winter.<ref name="nycparks">{{cite news |date=December 11, 2001 |title=Central Park Is Open for Skating |url=http://www.nycgovparks.org/sub_newsroom/daily_plants/daily_plant_main.php?id=11773 |access-date=July 16, 2010 |work=New York City Department of Parks & Recreation}}</ref> Lasker Rink was open from late October through March for public skating, skating schools, and ice hockey. Over the years the ice surface had different configurations, but most recently was outfitted with two rinks, which were 195-feet by 65-feet, which is slightly smaller than the standard 200-feet by 85-feet National Hockey League hockey rinks. The rinks used artificial refrigeration to maintain the ice. Between 2019 and its final operating season in 2021, 87% of Lasker Pool and Rink users were New York City residents. Nearly half or 45% were from the immediately surrounding neighborhoods such as Harlem, East Harlem, and Manhattan Valley, while 26% came from other Upper Manhattan neighborhoods and the Bronx, and 16% came from elsewhere in the city,<ref name="The New York Times 2019" />
==== Programming ==== thumb|Looking up from Harlem Meer Lasker Rink was host to an annual charity adult hockey tournament, The Central Park Classic, taking place over Presidents Day weekend, ran by the Canadian Association of New York, which drew teams from all over the northeast, including teams from Canada. Funds raised were donated to area youth hockey programs, including Ice Hockey in Harlem. Some of the hockey programs that operated at Lasker Rink included: * Central Park Ice Hockey used the two rinks where adult hockey leagues played 4 on 4 ice hockey. Teams were able to be coed and were separated based on skill level. * Ice Hockey In Harlem (IHIH), a non-for-profit that combined classroom diligence with hockey. Volunteers acted as coaches.<ref>{{cite news |title=Hockey; Program for Youngsters in Harlem Opens Books and Opens Doors |first=Lena |last=Williams |url=https://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0DE7DA1039F933A15751C1A9669C8B63 |newspaper=The New York Times |date=December 20, 2000 |access-date=October 8, 2007}}</ref> * The Central Park North Stars, a special needs hockey team of the American Special Hockey Association used Lasker as their home rink until it closed in 2021.<ref>[http://www.laskerrink.com/Default.aspx?p=dynamicmodule&pageid=359511&ssid=307497&vnf=1 Northstars]</ref> Since the new Davis Center's opening, the team now uses it for home games.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Schulte |first=Jenny |date=2025-11-09 |title=Partnerships at the Davis Center that Put Harlem First |url=https://amsterdamnews.com/news/2025/11/09/partnerships-at-the-davis-center-that-put-harlem-first/ |access-date=2025-12-03 |website=New York Amsterdam News |language=en-US}}</ref> * Various private schools, such as St. David's, St. Bernard's, Buckley, and Browning hosted programs at Lasker. * The NyIcecats, founded in 1999 by Sabbath observant Jewish families, which offered hockey to kids of every age, skill level, and religious background.
==== Similar setups ==== Lasker Rink was the only convertible ice rink/pool facility in the United States for many years.<ref name="nycparks" /> McCarren Park Pool in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, had a similar set up in 2013 and 2014.<ref>{{cite news|last= Furfaro|first=Danielle|date=May 15, 2015|url=http://www.brooklynpaper.com/stories/38/21/dtg-mccarren-park-ice-rink-on-ice-2015-05-22-bk.html|title=Mccarren Park Rink on Ice|work=Brooklyn Paper|access-date=January 30, 2016}}</ref><ref name="New York Daily News 2013">{{cite web | title=McCarren Park Pool is Brooklyn's hottest ice skating destination . . . for now | website=New York Daily News | last=Blau |first=Reuven | date=November 25, 2013 | url=https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/blades-glory-mccarren-park-article-1.1528604 | access-date=September 3, 2022}}</ref> A similar indoor pool/rink, the Kobe Port Island Sport center, was built in Kobe, Japan, in 1981. The Osaka Pool in Osaka, Japan, also functions in this dual fashion.
== References == {{Reflist}}
== External links == * {{official website|https://daviscenter.centralparknyc.org/}}
{{Central Park}} {{Harlem}}
Category:1966 establishments in New York City Category:2021 disestablishments in New York (state) Category:2025 establishments in New York City Category:Buildings and structures completed in the 1960s Category:Central Park Category:Ice rinks in the United States Category:Swimming venues in the United States