NEW YORK—As a fresh year is approaching, Prospect Park is going to take on a new look.
An upcoming restoration project, known as Lakeside, will replace its winter skating rink with year-round amenities in keeping with the historic design originally envisioned by architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, who also designed Central Park.
The first of three phases of the 26-acre landscape restoration project is ready to begin, announced authorities on Wednesday at the Kate Wollman Rink in Prospect Park.
“This is an exciting day—the first step in restoring the Olmsted and Vaux original design to the Prospect Park I remember playing in as a child growing up in Brooklyn,” said Shelby White, founding trustee of the Leon Levy Foundation, which donated $10 million to the project.
“The Lakeside restoration will ensure that many more generations of children in Brooklyn will be able to enjoy the Park and its natural beauty.”
Prospect Park includes 585 acres of meadows, waterfalls, forest, lakes, and athletic facilities and has served the Brooklyn community since 1867.
The project’s construction phase one will include reconstructing a portion of Prospect Lake, improving plant and wildlife habitats, enhancing pedestrian access to the park’s natural and historic landscape, and construction of a boat dock and stone terrace at the lakeshore.
The later stages of the Lakeside project will include relocating and replacing the winter-only ice rink with a year-round, environmentally sustainable building designed by architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien.
Construction of the Lakeside Center will begin in 2010 with anticipated completion by late 2011 or early 2012.
Up to now, $47 million has been raised for Lakeside. The Prospect Park Alliance continues to look for donors to fund the $70 million project.
“Prospect Park is the heart of Brooklyn and the restoration of 26 acres of its landscape will enhance the Park’s natural environment while remaining true to the original vision of Olmsted and Vaux,” said Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe.
An upcoming restoration project, known as Lakeside, will replace its winter skating rink with year-round amenities in keeping with the historic design originally envisioned by architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux, who also designed Central Park.
The first of three phases of the 26-acre landscape restoration project is ready to begin, announced authorities on Wednesday at the Kate Wollman Rink in Prospect Park.
“This is an exciting day—the first step in restoring the Olmsted and Vaux original design to the Prospect Park I remember playing in as a child growing up in Brooklyn,” said Shelby White, founding trustee of the Leon Levy Foundation, which donated $10 million to the project.
“The Lakeside restoration will ensure that many more generations of children in Brooklyn will be able to enjoy the Park and its natural beauty.”
Prospect Park includes 585 acres of meadows, waterfalls, forest, lakes, and athletic facilities and has served the Brooklyn community since 1867.
The project’s construction phase one will include reconstructing a portion of Prospect Lake, improving plant and wildlife habitats, enhancing pedestrian access to the park’s natural and historic landscape, and construction of a boat dock and stone terrace at the lakeshore.
The later stages of the Lakeside project will include relocating and replacing the winter-only ice rink with a year-round, environmentally sustainable building designed by architects Tod Williams and Billie Tsien.
Construction of the Lakeside Center will begin in 2010 with anticipated completion by late 2011 or early 2012.
Up to now, $47 million has been raised for Lakeside. The Prospect Park Alliance continues to look for donors to fund the $70 million project.
“Prospect Park is the heart of Brooklyn and the restoration of 26 acres of its landscape will enhance the Park’s natural environment while remaining true to the original vision of Olmsted and Vaux,” said Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe.
