Rendering c/o NYC Parks
One of Riverside Park’s most popular playgrounds is getting a $3 million boost from the state, though none of it’s going toward the slides or swings.
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Governor Kathy Hochul announced on Friday that the state is awarding $3 million in capital funding to Riverside Park Conservancy for improvements to the pavilion and public restrooms at Dinosaur Playground, near West 97th Street. The Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) will administer the money, according to the governor’s office.The pavilion was built in the 1930s and houses the only public restrooms in the immediate area. The press release says decades of heavy use and water infiltration have left the building with deteriorated interiors, rusted doors and partitions, outdated fixtures, poor lighting, damaged ceilings and accessibility challenges.
The renovation will give the restrooms new finishes, lighting and fixtures, along with accessibility improvements. Beyond the restrooms, the project includes repairs to the roof, terrace and stairs, new waterproofing, restoration of the building’s masonry, ironwork, windows and other architectural details, upgraded drinking fountains, and a new water service, meter and backflow-prevention system.
“When governments invest in our parks, playgrounds and recreational facilities, we are investing in our children’s health and future,” Hochul said in a statement. She added that the funding will ensure families have “a safe and welcoming community space to get offline, get outside and come together.”
“Public restrooms are basic infrastructure, and families at Dinosaur Playground have made do with deteriorating facilities for far too long,” said Assemblymember Micah Lasher.
Council Member Gale Brewer said her office has been working for years to secure funding to repair and upgrade public bathrooms throughout the district, calling them “expensive, long-neglected infrastructure needs that cannot be fixed with a new sink or a coat of paint.”
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Other local officials chipped in as well. State Senator Erik Bottcher said he secured an additional $150,000 in state funding for the project, and Manhattan Borough President Brad Hoylman-Sigal said he secured $100,000 toward the pavilion’s restoration while he was a state senator.“There is nothing so basic yet so vital to the health and wellbeing of our communities as having public restrooms that are functional, accessible and welcoming,” said Merritt Birnbaum, president and CEO of Riverside Park Conservancy. The Conservancy says restroom renovations are a major need across the park, where many of the 12 public restrooms date to the 1940s and face chronic closures, deferred maintenance and accessibility challenges.
The governor’s office said the funding complements its Unplug and Play Initiative, which includes the NY PLAYS playground program. NY PLAYS has awarded more than $67.5 million for 89 projects statewide.
The press release doesn’t say how the pavilion work fits with the Parks Department’s larger plan to reconstruct the playground itself. In 2023, the Landmarks Preservation Commission voted 10 to 1 to approve the $8.66 million plan, which aims to tackle the playground’s flooding, make it ADA accessible and add new play equipment, among other changes.
Design for that project wrapped up in September 2025, later than the November 2024 date Parks originally projected, and permitting and legal review of the contract are underway, according to NYC Parks. Start dates for procurement and construction haven’t been set. ILTUWS has reached out to NYC Parks and the Conservancy for more details.
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