A New Central Park Amenity, Tailored to Its East Harlem Neighbors

When McKenzie Lewis turned 7 years old, she found her love for figure skating. She took her first skate steps on the Lasker Rink, a run-down skating and pool facility built in the 1960s, located near the northern neck of Central Park’s East Harlem entrance. Her neighbors swam and skated there too, even though the facility itself was slightly shady, said Lewis’s dad, William. “It was a little disconnected to get to the park,” he says. “Like you could take those walks but it's like you were looking over your shoulder a bit.”

What replaced Lasker this week — the new Davis Center at the Harlem Meer — is, by William’s account, “a breath of fresh air for the community.” A pool in the summer, a rink in the winter and synthetic turf for a picnic spread in the months between, the Davis Center marries the concept of three buildings into one. Designed with the East Harlem community at its heart, this 34,000-square-foot reinvention of a once-crumbling facility is more than a makeover; it’s a restoration of trust.