An historic passenger terminal will be transformed into a multi-million visitor center, a federal lawmaker announced last week.
Rep. Anthony Weiner recently allocated $4.8 million to restore and refurbish Floyd Bennett Field’s Ryan Center into a “world class” facility for Gateway National Park’s Jamaica Bay Unit.
“We want the building to be as majestic as its history,” Weiner said.
The Ryan Center once served as the passenger terminal to New York City’s first municipal airport.
Built in 1931, it is the original building behind which famed aviator Howard Hughes took off and landed after completing a round-the-world record flight in 1938.
Floyd Bennett’s airfield was later used as an aerial hub for fighter planes during World War II and is currently home to a marine reserve unit, Weiner said.
“This funding will continue to fuel an ongoing renaissance at Gateway that will allow even more New Yorkers to enjoy the outdoors without leaving the Big Apple,” he added.
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The restoration of the center will also turn the building’s vintage control tower, which was originally built by the Navy on the eve of World War II, into a unique panoramic view deck, with views out into Jamaica Bay and towards the New York City skyline.
The funding for the center comes by way of the 2008 Defense Appropriations Bill.
Weiner said the center will act as the entry point for the national park’s wealth of attractions, including bird watching, biking, golfing, boating, a multi-use sports and a recreation facility.
Since 1998, Weiner has allocated over $70 million worth of renovations at Gateway, work he said protects and improves the park’s wetlands, wildlife refuge, nature trails, historic sites, playgrounds, and recreation areas.
Gateway National Recreation Area encompasses some 19,000 acres, more acreage than all of New York City’s parks combined. Last year, the park was visited by 4.1 million people, making it the fourth most visited national park in the nation, Weiner noted.
The park can use all the attention it receives.
According to a May report by the National Parks Conservation Association, Gateway was in the poorest condition of any national park surveyed.
Despite some “inspiring elements such as Sandy Hook, Jamaica Bay’s Wildlife Refuge, and the remnant maritime forest at Fort Tilden, the park’s surrounding waters are still polluted, visitor services are limited, and the loss of native species is widespread,” the report stated.
