Boathouse Central Park Loeb to open in summer under concession at Yankee Stadium

The legendary Loeb Boathouse in Central Park will reopen this summer after a costly refurbishment.

Under an agreement not yet finalized with the city, the boathouse, which first opened in 1872 and closed in October, will receive a new operator, Legends Hospitality, which currently handles the Yankee and Intrepid Stadium concessions.

Mayor Adams announced the plan, which is still under review Thursday, noting that the restaurant will not only reopen “bigger and better than ever” but will also create 200 union jobs.

Loeb Boathouse restaurant overlooking the lake in Central Park.

“Everyone was focused. We had to open it,” Adams said near the boathouse. “We couldn’t let this boathouse remain closed because it would only give the appearance that this city is not recovering.”

The concession agreement with Legends will run for 10 years and is expected to receive final approval in March from the city’s franchise and concession review committee.

Boathouse, which has been featured in films such as When Harry Met Sally and The Manchurian Candidate, closed last October after its previous operator, Dean Poll, informed the city of rising labor costs and “commodity costs.”

Mayor Eric Adams

Poll’s notice, which he submitted last July, prompted the City Parks Department to seek new offers from vendors.

Under a new contract with the city, Legends is committed to $3.2 million in capital investment and $250,000 in maintenance improvements.

“We expect the boathouse to become one of the best restaurants, event venues and other destinations in this great city,” said Richard Porteous, regional vice president of Legends Hospitality. “As a lifelong New Yorker, I’ve been here many times and can’t wait to restore this iconic hotel.”

View of the historic Loeb Boathouse restaurant in Central Park.

When the restaurant closed last year, about 160 workers lost their jobs. Rich Maroko, president of the Hospitality Council, said union members would return with a valid contract.

“While everyone – visitors and residents alike – mourned the loss of this iconic site, no one was hurt more than the workers who depended on it for their livelihood,” Maroko said. “We are one step away from opening the boathouse and getting these people back to work.”

Adams, a former NYPD captain, took on a lighter tone at times, joking at one point that boathouses were part of his dating experience when he was a rookie cop.

“In my rookie years, I didn’t have a lot of money and there was nothing more romantic than being able to rent a boat,” he said. “It was a great cheap date.”

Porteous said that once the boathouse is up and running, park visitors will be able to book boats in advance, but he didn’t say how much it would cost to rent them in the summer.

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