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Battery Park Fieldhouse to be replaced with new $6 million facility
By
Liam Quigley
Published Jul 20, 2025
Modified Jul 21, 2025
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Parks Department/WXY Architects
By
Liam Quigley
Published Jul 20, 2025
Modified Jul 21, 2025
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A dilapidated building that once housed a public bathroom in Battery Park is set to be renovated as part of a bigger plan to overhaul the green space.
The new $6.1 million fieldhouse will include two family-friendly bathrooms to serve a nearby playground, as well as new locker rooms and offices for park workers. The plan comes as a major project to enhance storm resiliency in the area moves forward, with large swathes of green space closed off near historic Castle Clinton, which is managed by the National Parks Service.
City parks officials said the Battery Park Fieldhouse, which currently only serves as a break room for park workers, will be replaced by spring 2028. The overgrown building serves as a reminder of a dingier era in the park, which now teems with tourists and office workers.
The current facility in Battery Park has seen better days.
Liam Quigley
“This looks kind of worn out and sad,” said Luke Popadics, who was taking a lunch break in the park and dodging throngs of people headed to the Staten Island and Ellis Island Ferries. ”It looks like it probably was a bathroom at one point.”
The building was constructed in 1951, according to city records. Nearby Castle Clinton served as the first facility in the United States dedicated to processing immigrants.
The new structure will feature a green roof and serve as a ticketing office for the nearby SeaGlass carousel.
While Popadics welcomed the upgrades to the fieldhouse, he lamented the extensive construction going on in the park since 2023 to make it more resilient to flooding. The project has a price tag of more than $200 million and involves construction of flood barriers throughout the park.
Popadics said he hadn’t been able to cast from his location in the park for years.
“It was a nice fishing spot. There were always older people who were retired there early in the morning. I’d go before work. I’ve caught striped bass and fluke and tautog,” he said.
Correction: This story and headline have been updated to reflect the future of the current fieldhouse in Battery Park. The building will be renovated and replaced.
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Liam Quigley
Liam Quigley is a reporter covering parks & sanitation for Gothamist and WNYC. Got a tip? Email [email protected]
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