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Tompkins Square Park may soon be trading its famously modest mini-pool for something a little more permanent and a lot more functional.
NYC Parks has officially kicked off the design phase for a reconstruction project centered on the mini-pool and basketball courts at Tompkins Square Park, and the agency is inviting neighbors to weigh in before anything gets built. A virtual community input meeting is scheduled for this evening, January 29, at 6:30pm, giving locals a chance to help shape the future look of this busy stretch of the park along East 10th Street and Avenue B.
The biggest proposed change is a long-anticipated one: the current above-ground mini-pool would be replaced with a new in-ground pool. The project is backed by $6.1 million in state funding awarded in 2024 as part of New York’s NY SWIMS initiative, announced by Gov. Kathy Hochul, which aims to expand access to public swimming facilities in underserved communities. The new in-ground pool would double the capacity of the existing setup, which has struggled to meet summer demand.
Beyond the pool itself, the funding also covers a full refresh of the surrounding infrastructure. Plans include replacing the filtration system, expanding the pool deck, upgrading fencing and gates and adding outdoor showers and a new lifeguard chair, essentially bringing this corner of the park up to modern standards after years of patchwork solutions.
Timing, however, remains the big question mark. NYC Parks has not released a construction schedule and with the project still in the design and procurement phase, it’s unclear when work would actually begin. If construction starts soon, the mini-pool could be closed for yet another summer, which is a tough pill for East Village families, especially after the pool sat unused for consecutive seasons while nearby facilities were under renovation.
Still, the broader context is encouraging. The park’s field house and restrooms reopened in April 2025 following an 18-month, $5.6 million renovation, restoring one of the park’s most heavily used facilities and showing a renewed investment in the park as a whole.
For now, nothing is set in stone. Tonight’s meeting is the first step in determining how this slice of Tompkins will evolve—and how well it serves the neighborhood once the construction fences finally come down.