Boathouse on the Lullwater of the Lake in Prospect Park
Encyclopedia
Boathouse on the Lullwater of the Lake in Prospect Park is located in the eastern part of Prospect Park
on the northeast shore of The Lake, southeast of the Ravine District in Brooklyn, New York. It was built in 1905-07 to a classical design of Helmle, Hudswell and Huberty, protégés of McKim, Mead and White.
In September 1964 the Parks Department was within forty-eight hours of demolishing the Boathouse. At the time the structure was underutilized; the boat concession only operated on weekends and the Boathouse was visited by fewer than ten people an hour, even on the busiest summer weekends.
The Boathouse shared many features with the McKim, Mead and White masterpiece Penn Station
, whose recent demolition had been controversial. The resulting historic preservation
movement generated public pressure to save the Boathouse. Though saved, nearly ten years would elapse before restorations would begin on the structure under Commissioner August Heckscher. Further restorations were required in the 1980s under Commissioner Gordon Davis to repair damage from a leaking roof. After twenty years as a visitors center and park ranger headquarters, the Boathouse was restored for a third time in 2000. It now houses the Audubon Center, the Audubon Society's only urban interpretive center in the United States.
The Boathouse's fortunes over the last third of the 20th century parallel the larger, and still ongoing, recovery of the park. In the 1980s, the Parks Department began forming partnerships with privately funded, non-profit organizations to help relieve shortfalls in park management.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1972.
The Boathouse was seen in Scorsese's movie: The Age Of Innocence
(1993) as the Boston park where Archer Newland(Day-Lewis) meets Ellen Olenska(Pfeiffer)
Prospect Park (Brooklyn)
Prospect Park is a 585-acre public park in the New York City borough of Brooklyn located between Park Slope, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Kensington, Windsor Terrace and Flatbush Avenue, Grand Army Plaza and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden...
on the northeast shore of The Lake, southeast of the Ravine District in Brooklyn, New York. It was built in 1905-07 to a classical design of Helmle, Hudswell and Huberty, protégés of McKim, Mead and White.
In September 1964 the Parks Department was within forty-eight hours of demolishing the Boathouse. At the time the structure was underutilized; the boat concession only operated on weekends and the Boathouse was visited by fewer than ten people an hour, even on the busiest summer weekends.
The Boathouse shared many features with the McKim, Mead and White masterpiece Penn Station
Pennsylvania Station (New York City)
Pennsylvania Station—commonly known as Penn Station—is the major intercity train station and a major commuter rail hub in New York City. It is one of the busiest rail stations in the world, and a hub for inbound and outbound railroad traffic in New York City. The New York City Subway system also...
, whose recent demolition had been controversial. The resulting historic preservation
Historic preservation
Historic preservation is an endeavor that seeks to preserve, conserve and protect buildings, objects, landscapes or other artifacts of historical significance...
movement generated public pressure to save the Boathouse. Though saved, nearly ten years would elapse before restorations would begin on the structure under Commissioner August Heckscher. Further restorations were required in the 1980s under Commissioner Gordon Davis to repair damage from a leaking roof. After twenty years as a visitors center and park ranger headquarters, the Boathouse was restored for a third time in 2000. It now houses the Audubon Center, the Audubon Society's only urban interpretive center in the United States.
The Boathouse's fortunes over the last third of the 20th century parallel the larger, and still ongoing, recovery of the park. In the 1980s, the Parks Department began forming partnerships with privately funded, non-profit organizations to help relieve shortfalls in park management.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1972.
The Boathouse was seen in Scorsese's movie: The Age Of Innocence
The Age of Innocence (film)
The Age of Innocence is a 1993 American film adaptation of Edith Wharton's 1920 novel of the same name. The film was released by Columbia Pictures, directed by Martin Scorsese, and stars Daniel Day-Lewis, Michelle Pfeiffer, and Winona Ryder....
(1993) as the Boston park where Archer Newland(Day-Lewis) meets Ellen Olenska(Pfeiffer)