Join the rally to save the East River Park’s historic Track House and Tennis Center Comfort Station, now slated for demolition as part of the East Side Coastal Resiliency (ESCR) project!

When: Sunday November 14, 2:00PM (previous Saturday date cancelled due to rain)
Where: East River Park, in front of (north side) of the Brian Watkins Tennis Center Comfort Station (see map below)

The Art Deco / WPA Moderne Track House and Tennis Center Comfort Station were designed by Aymar Embury II, lead architect for Robert Moses in the 1930s, and built in 1938 during the construction of the park (see photos below).  The buildings' original materials – limestone cladding, polychromatic terra cotta ornament, and slate tile roofs, – remain very much intact. Much of the terra cotta ornamentation, including stylized fish, vegetation and water, recall the area’s shipbuilding and maritime heritage. The buildings are very fine examples of this period and style, not commonly found on the Lower East Side. Based on a preliminary inspection by a team of architects and engineers, we believe that saving one or both of the buildings would likely not significantly impact the ESCR project’s scheduling or budget.

LESPI acknowledges the necessity for the City to provide timely floodproofing for the park under ESCR. However we see no reason that these buildings cannot be saved, restored and re-used in the new East River Park.

LESPI's Rally Cosponsors: Bowery Alliance of Neighbors, Art Deco Society of New York, Friends of Corlears Hook Park, Friends of Terra Cotta, Friends of the Lower East Side, Historic Districts Council, New York Landmarks Conservancy, and Village Preservation.