One of the last remaining structures from the 1939 World’s Fair is being restored and upgraded, thanks to grants from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall, and Councilmember James Gennaro.
On Monday, November 16, numerous Parks Department and other officials, civic leaders and groups gathered in front of the boathouse on Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park for the official groundbreaking for the project.
The boathouse, the focal point for such growing Queens attractions as the annual Hong Kong Dragon Boat race, will undergo a full exterior and interior restoration, including a new façade and interior. Half the building will be winterized for year-round use as a meeting place. Public restrooms will be added to the southern wing of the building. The old wood dock will also be renovated and re-decked with sustainable plastic lumber.
The $6 million renovation has already begun, with the boathouse gutted and the decrepit deck removed. The structural work is funded by $5.6 million from Marshall and $441,000 from Bloomberg and will include new windows and roof replacement.
In addition, areas surrounding the boathouse will be paved to provide disabled access to the building.
Under a separate $1.7 million contract, funded by $1 million from Gennaro, $625,000 from a multi-modal grant from the state and separate allocation of $115,000 provided by Bloomberg, some of the surrounding pathways and portions of the lake edge will be reconfigured to address drainage problems.
“The boathouse at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park has provided visitors with a connection to the water and the park’s history,” said city Parks Commissioner Adrian Benepe, noting that, in addition to numerous events, the facility “has provided the community with opportunities to learn sailing and rowing.”
In addition to the Dragon Boat race, TASCA (The American Small Craft Association) and advocacy group Row NY also promote and participate in events for the public to increase their enjoyment and use of the facilities.
