Amphitheater Coming to Astoria Park in Former Diving Pool Space

 

Have you seen the old diving pool in Astoria Park, adjacent to the Olympic-sized swimming pool? If you have, you’ve likely tried to ignore it. The space, currently filled with cloudy water and weeds, is pretty unattractive due to decades of going unused. But here’s the good news: after years of planning, the mission to turn the area in 500-seat amphitheater is finally scheduled to break ground next year!

Although we are all excited to have a large performance space for concerts in the neighborhood, don’t get out your lighters just yet. Construction on large-scale projects like this typically takes between 12-18 months, so it could be a few years before we’re able to enjoy summertime live music.

To keep tabs on the project, you can visit the NYC Parks’ official tracker page, which currently lists the Procurement phase as 5% complete, with a projected finalization date of January 2016. After that stage is over, the construction can begin, although they will likely wait until the warmer spring months to start digging in. According to the NYC Parks’ site, the total funding necessary will be between $3 million and $10 million, and will come from City Council.

Although this project will a lengthy and expensive one, it’s definitely a big deal for our neighborhood. Are you excited to see an amphitheater in the former diving pool space?