Brooklyn’s beloved indoor pool is going under the knife, and it will be out of action for about a year while the city sinks roughly $14 million into a full natatorium makeover at the John M. Coyne Recreation Center.
Demolition starts this week, and city leaders say swimmers should not count on splashing around outside either. The adjacent outdoor pool will stay closed through this spring and summer while crews turn the aging facility into something closer to a modern aquatic complex. Officials say the overhaul will update locker rooms, add an elevator, carve out new program spaces and, crucially for local athletes, make it possible to host formal swim meets once the dust settles.
According to the city’s Winter Newsletter, Brooklyn has teamed up with Higley Construction and Grusenmeyer & Associates for design and construction management, and the first phase of work is expected to run about 12 months. Athletic Business reported that City Council signed off on a construction-manager-at-risk agreement that puts Higley on site as the day-to-day manager. Between city documents and industry coverage, officials put the first-phase construction price tag at roughly $14 million.
What the Work Will Include
The early focus is on reshaping the natatorium’s guts so it functions more like a competition-ready venue than a tired neighborhood pool.
Lane lines will be shifted to the deep end and the bulkhead relocated so the city can finally stage formal swim meets. The pool deck and locker rooms are set for a full rebuild, and the existing balcony will be transformed into a new fitness floor instead of a place to just sit and watch.
The project also calls for a revamped main entrance, a new elevator, upgraded concessions, a pool-party room and a dedicated child-care space that is meant to make it easier for families to actually use the building. Cleveland-area reporting notes that crews will remove the glass walkway that once linked the pool side to the rink, and that the natatorium first opened in 1990, which helps explain why the place is getting such a heavy refresh.
Where Swimmers Will Go This Summer
The Recreation Department’s schedule and neighborhood guide are blunt about the short-term pain: the natatorium side will be closed for the entire construction period, and the outdoor pool will not open at all for the coming summer season.
To soften the blow a bit, the city is offering prorated memberships and account credits for patrons whose passes expire while the facility is shut down. Daily drop-in passes will still be available for visitors who qualify, so not every door at Coyne will be locked, even if the pools are.
Funding and Timeline
Mayor Ron Van Kirk told local media that demolition should take about four weeks and that the city is aiming to wrap the main construction phase in roughly 12 months. In other words, regulars are looking at about a one-year dry spell before they can get back in the water.
The mayor also said the current phase is being paid for with funds already on hand instead of new borrowing. A second phase has been discussed that would add an exterior lap pool, a zero-depth leisure pool and a splash pad, but that future work has not yet been budgeted.
City Council minutes show that the natatorium upgrade is part of Brooklyn’s 2026 capital planning, and leaders say the project is tracking within the planned budget.
“The CMR is very important for a project of this size, to get the expertise of a construction manager in there,” Mayor Van Kirk said in industry reporting about the Higley hire.
Residents who want to adjust memberships or grill someone about the timeline can call the Recreation Department at 216-351-5334. The city has posted more details in its Winter Newsletter and in facility notices online, for anyone who prefers fine print to phone calls.
