Prospect Park officials on Friday revealed the newly completed first phase of the park's $74 million Lakeside project.
The first portion of the project was funded by a $10 million grant from the Leon Levy Foundation, and included substantial renovations. According Prospect Park Alliance spokesman Paul Nelson, the changes made include:
- Demolishing the former Wollman Skating Rink
- Restoring 2,000 feet of the lake's shoreline
- Removing invasive plants
- Rebuilding Music Island (formerly covered by the skating rink)
- Building a new Shelby White and Leon Levy Esplanade
- Adding railing
- Replacing six urns along Concert Grove Wall. (The originals disappeared sometime in the early 20th century. Nelson notes that not only do the new ones weigh 600 pounds, they have also been fastened down.)
The project's second phase—which will include two year-round skating rinks and a water playground—is slated for completion in fall of 2013.
For now, the newly renovated space will be open to the public on Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. through Nov. 25.
