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Randall’s Island just got a new claim to fame that has nothing to do with concerts or soccer fields. The Randall’s Island Park Alliance has officially broken ground on a $6 million Nature Center, a 2,500-square-foot hub for science, sustainability and free programming set to debut in fall 2026. Think of it as the island’s new brainy (but still fun) clubhouse—equal parts lab, classroom and community hangout, with plenty of green cred baked in.
The Center will serve as home base for RIPA’s wildly popular education and community programs, which already engage more than 15,000 local students each year—91 percent from neighboring East Harlem and the South Bronx. Expect dedicated classrooms for school groups, a base camp for summer campers and a much-needed indoor option when the weather doesn’t cooperate. For grown-ups, that means a permanent spot to dive into wetlands tours, waterfront festivals and quirky favorites like Bird Bonanza and Pollinator Palooza.
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“This project will transform how our visitors interact with the park by creating a hands-on learning space for all ages and a hub for exploration of the island’s natural environment,” said Deborah Maher, the president of the Randall’s Island Park Alliance. “For the 4 million people who visit the Park annually—from those that call it their backyard to our visitors from around the world—Randall’s Island Park has something for everyone to enjoy.”
The design, led by MPFP PLLC, longtime master planners for the park, will renovate an existing masonry building with a modern glulam timber façade, a green roof and a rain garden. Nestled beside restored salt marsh and freshwater wetlands, the Center will double as a teaching tool, showing how plants naturally filter pollution before runoff reaches the river. Indoors, plans call for aquariums, live exhibits, climate change displays, a composting station and even a food lab that will teach visitors about sustainable production.
Funding for the project is a community effort, with support from State Senator Jose M. Serrano, the Steven & Alexandra Cohen Foundation, the Gray Foundation and others.
“For generations, Randall’s Island has served as an important community connector to nature, recreation, and the outdoors,” said Serrano. “The new Nature Center on Randall’s Island will continue to enhance that experience, providing much needed space for educational programming that helps connect our neighbors to the natural world around them.”
When the ribbon is finally cut in 2026, expect more than just a new building. The Nature Center promises to be a year-round playground for curiosity—where science experiments meet summer camps and where New Yorkers can connect with nature without leaving the city.