You might not be able to swim in the East River, but you can swim on it, thanks to a floating swimming pool spearheaded by Ann Buttenwieser. Two decades after she conceived of the notion for a floating pool, her dream was realized–with the help of $4 million in fundraised dollars.
The pool is a barge that’s been adapted for the unique use. Last year, Brooklynites were able to use the facility, which was moored near Brooklyn Heights, for free. Though the website isn’t yet updated for this year, Ms. Buttenwieser confirms that the pool will open around June 27, when the other public pools open in New York. It will be anchored off Baretto Point Park in the Bronx. Not quite as convenient for Brooklyn residents, unless they have a boat themselves.
According to a Times article, Buttenwiser’s project was inspired by dozens of floating bathhouses that New Yorkers once used to keep clean. One presumes that the bathhouses were displaced by internal plumbing, but the concept–bobbing in a floating pool with unobstructed views of the city–is still sound.
