Update June 10, 2025, 3:51 pm: This story has been updated with a comment from the NYC Parks Department.
Summer means spending more time at rec centers, swimming in pools, trying out new activities, and for kids, attending day camps.
However, regulars at the Metropolitan Rec Center (261 Bedford Ave.) will have to wait a little longer, as the center abruptly shuttered a few months ago and remains closed. A notice on the NYC Parks Department website notes that the center “is temporarily closed due to a mechanical issue which has resulted in poor dehumidification and air circulation.”
“Equipment needed to assist in increased air circulation at the center has been ordered and will be installed within the next few months,” the notice continues.
Many feel dismayed at the project’s lack of a clear timeline. As News 12 reports, members did not realize that the center was shutting down until they arrived to find the doors locked. Local residents have taken it into their own hands and recently started a petition to call on the Parks Department to offer up some answers. A Parks spokesperson was unable to confirm a specific opening date.
“Safety is our top priority, and we are committed to safely reopening Metropolitan Rec Center to the community as quickly as possible,” they told Greenpointers. In the meantime, we encourage New Yorkers to use nearby alternatives like McCarren Play Center and St. John’s Rec Center.”
A Parks source also confirmed with Greenpointers that the equipment is currently being installed but additional testing is needed before the center can open to the public, likely by this summer. The Parks Department has plans for further upgrades in 2026.
Adding some insult to injury is the area’s closest branch of the Brooklyn Public Library (Leonard Library, on Devoe Street) has been closed for renovations the past two years.
Both closures leave residents without critical programming and activities, however, a Brooklyn Public Library spokesperson recently told Greenpointers that the Leonard Library should reopen in August.