LeFrak Center at Lakeside

Location: Prospect Park, Type: Recreational Facility Size: 75,000 SF Sustainability: LEED Gold Prospect Park is a 585-acre public park in the New York City borough of Brooklyn. It was designed by and after they completed Manhattan’s Central Park. This image of skaters on the frozen lake was taken just after the park opened in 1867. Olmsted and Vaux envisioned Prospect Park as a tranquil, rural landscape where visitors could recuperate from the incessant pace of city life. As shown in this drawing, their design included rolling green meadows, a carriage concourse, a concert grove to enjoy music in a pastoral setting, and two islands (Music Island and Duck Island) in an artificial lake. Prospect Park Lake 1961 Rink

Concert Grove

Parking Lot

The addition of a new skating rink in 1961 entailed the bulldozing of Music Island and demolition of the Esplanade. The carriage concourse became a large parking lot. Over time, the rink fell on hard times and both the landscape and structures began to seriously decline. By the 1970s, visitorship was at an all-time low. Prospect Park Lake Music Island

Concert Grove

LeFrak Center

The Prospect Park Alliance and NYC Department of Parks and Recreation collaborated to finance twenty-six acres of parkland renovation to Olmsted and Vaux’s original vision and the creation of the LeFrak Center. The old rink was demolished, Music Island and the Esplanade were restored, and the LeFrak Center replaced the large parking lot. The LeFrak Center is a public amenity sited in an underserved, diversely populated area of Prospect Park. The new building is a year-round destination for recreation, relaxation, and events. The one-story L-shaped structure seamlessly integrates with existing and newly constructed topography. As part of the revitalization effort, Prospect Park’s shoreline and Music Island have been restored to their original design. The Esplanade along the lake and paved pathways have been improved for walkers, joggers, and bikers. Picnic areas and lawns have been expanded by almost three acres. The LeFrak Center consists of two one-story granite-clad building blocks configured in an L-shape. Columns support a 108-foot wide, 208-foot long canopy that shelters archways between buildings and provides sheltered access to both. The building blocks are partially covered by earth to allow visitors to walk up to the roofs, which double as terraces. These upper-level terraces seamlessly connect with park pathways: visitors might find themselves at this elevated position without realizing there is a building down below. Offices NORTH BLOCK

Recreational Rink / Restrooms Water-Play Fountain Hockey Rink / Roller Skating

Skate Rental / Change Area

Party Rooms Restrooms Mechanical Cafe Offices

EAST BLOCK

Framed by the building blocks and sheltered by the canopy, a regulation- size hockey rink converts to a roller skating rink in warm weather. This rink connects to an elliptically-shaped recreational rink that converts into a water- play fountain in the summer. The building blocks house the ticketing area, skate rental, offices, a cafe, party rooms, restrooms, and mechanical spaces. Visitors follow a curved wall to enter the LeFrak Center. Laurentian Green Granite from Quebec cut into three-and-a-half inch thick split-faced blocks clad the building. This material relates to the rugged quality of Olmsted and Vaux’s work. The Center has no formal entry. Visitors can either pass under a bronze-and- reclaimed teak bridge or purchase a skate rental ticket at the building entry. The solid stone walls are interrupted by openings that frame the surrounding landscape. A ninety-foot long , eight-foot tall decorative tile mural is set into the entry wall. The colors chosen and pattern developed evoke the ever- changing seasons. The North block contains the skate rental and change area as well as lockers and public restrooms for skaters and park visitors. The East block contains the mechanical space. The LeFrak Center received LEED Gold certification, making it one of the only LEED-certified skating facilities in the world. Its refrigeration system uses ammonia, a highly efficient refrigerant that does not contribute to ozone depletion. Two ice resurfacers are housed year-round in the North block. A stainless garage door closes to conceal this space in the summer months. During the winter season, the resurfacers are a popular attraction. The canopy is supported by ten irregularly placed columns. Its underside is made of synthetic stucco and accentuated with metallic alcoves. It is painted midnight blue and carved with a design inspired by figure skating footwork patterns. Sedum is planted on the roof of the canopy. The ice rink serves skaters and hockey players in the winter months and converts into a roller skating facility and event space in spring and summer. Skaters are protected from the elements by the canopy, which floats twenty- three feet above ground. It also insures a higher quality of ice needed for hockey and reduces the amount of energy needed for heating and cooling. The two interconnected skating rinks comprise 32,000 square feet of ice during the winter months. All permanently occupied spaces have direct exterior views and natural light, thereby diminishing the need for artificial air quality during the day. The LeFrak Center is focused on the seamless integration of architecture and landscape. The building blocks are carefully configured around existing trees while new walkways lead visitors to roof terraces, which are planted with shrubs and grasses. The tree shown here is an original from Olmsted and Vaux’s plan. The roof terraces overlook the skating rinks and allow for generous views of the park and lake beyond. The North block terrace is open while a temporary pavilion with tables, umbrellas, and chairs is brought out in warmer months to create a rooftop beer garden on the East block terrace. A bridge connects the two terraces. From the terraces, there is a great opportunity for people-watching of children and adults having fun whether they are ice skating, roller skating, or splashing in the water-play fountain. The roller rink brings roller skating back to Brooklyn for the first time since 2007. The elliptical rink is bordered by a stone bench, which contains forty-one water jets that direct water toward the center. Parents watch from benches shaded by umbrellas along the fountain’s perimeter or exterior cafe seating. Water collected from the water-play fountain drains into the nearby lake. This play space is free and open to the public, and has become immensely popular in the neighborhood. The LeFrak Center at Lakeside is the most ambitious park project completed in more than 150 years. It gives back twenty-six acres of parkland to the community and brings new energy to an underutilized area of Prospect Park. Free and open to all, the Center serves as a national model for integrating a historic landscape and sustainable architecture into a public park.