What a way to celebrate its new landmark status! The legendary McCarren Pool, which has become equally comfortable for concerts as it once was for swimming, will host a historic concert this weekend. On Saturday, Sonic Youth will perform their Daydream Nation album in its entirety! AND, this Sunday’s free show features the fabulous fellas of TV on the Radio!
Saturday:
The Slits open for Sonic Youth. Sonic Youth say this will be their last US performance of Daydream Nation.
Sunday:
TV on the Radio
Celebration
Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson
DJ Ryan Rasheed
McCarren Park Pool Is Declared A Landmark
The giant pool of days gone by, shared by Greenpoint and Williamsburg in NYC not only gets a $50 mil USD remodel but has also been declared a landmark. Now that it is a landmark, all ideas for how to spend the money that Mayor Bloomberg has pledged for remodeling the pool will have to be presented to a commission. According to the Gothamist, the Department of Parks and Recreation will be holding community talks to discuss these ideas, and some of the ideas mentioned at a meeting last month suggested “a sandy beach, a skate park, a place to kayak and, of course, a pool.”
If you’re not familiar with McCarren pool, you must not be from NYC, or you moved there after the age of 35. The pool went abandoned for ages (it had some trouble and closed in 1984 because of the neighborhood’s fear of crime), but in recent years has become a hipster haven with free live concerts every Sunday, and numerous big concerts that charged admission.
The pool has also featured shows by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Les Savy Fav, Bloc Party, M.I.A., Spank Rock, Beirut and many more.
Links to more info about McCarren Park Pool
The Gothamist report on the pool becoming a landmark
The Observer report on the landmark decision
The Pool Parties website
McCarren Park website which includes events happening in the park
In depth report on HearingTest about the pool’s history and the decision to remodel it
The “Best Thing” had a series of shows about the pool which you can listen to from the WNYC Public Radio site
Awesome footage of the pool in the 80’s (in between being a pool and a hipster hangout, while it was abandoned) from the movie “Vigilante”:
What Do You Think? ↓
1 Jocelyn // Jul 30, 2007 at 9:49
Whoa, you can see the World Trade Centers right behind that Russian Church in the background. I wouldn’t of thought they would be visable from that angle. Weird. Anyway, Sonic Youth was amazing on Saturday!
2 Molli Fire // Aug 1, 2007 at 13:04
Wow - great eye! I totally didn’t notice the towers in that shot. Glad to hear the concert went well! I was afraid it would get rained out.