The boathouse at Meadow Lake in Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, one of two remaining buildings from the 1939 World's Fair, is set to receive $6.5 million in renovations. Bates for News
When people think of relics from the World's Fairs of 1939 and 1964, the iconic Unisphere and picturesque New York State Pavilion usually come to mind.
Few, if any, would think of the brick boathouse on Meadow Lake, though it is one of only two surviving structures from the 1939 fair.
The boathouse still shelters vessels that ply the murky lake, but it is otherwise nearly forgotten. Years of abandonment and neglect have tarnished any traces of World's Fair grandeur.
After years of planning, the city Parks Department expects to begin a $6.5 million restoration of the historic boathouse early next year.
Giving the dilapidated structure a much-needed makeover will allow the boathouse to anchor a revitalization of the southern portion of the sprawling Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, said Queens Parks Commissioner Dorothy Lewandowski.
"This will allow the boathouse to go toward better use," she said, noting the project will give the building a new roof and windows and restore its facade. "This is the beginning of some restoration of the whole area around Meadow Lake."
Greg Godfrey, president of the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park World's Fair Association, applauded the effort.
"It is a welcome sign that they are going to spend the money to fix it up and use it as a showcase," he said. "In today's condition, it is pretty bad."
The restoration has received funding from Borough President Helen Marshall and City Councilman James Gennaro (D-Fresh Meadows).
It will add bathrooms to the boathouse, sparing visitors from having to use portable toilets.
The boathouse is shared by three boating groups - The American Small Craft Association, Row New York and the outfit that runs the Hong Kong Dragon Boat Festival.
Lewandowski said the project will also completely rebuild and extend the boathouse's deteriorating docks and make the facility handicapped accessible.
TASCA, a local sailing club and school, rescued the boathouse from abandonment several years ago, turning it into a no-frills base for its small fleet of 14-foot sailboats.
"It was full of squirrels," recalled Richard Hellenbrecht, 61, of Bellerose, a sailing instructor for the group. He said the club uses a wood-burning stove to heat the boathouse in winter months.
In addition to the boathouse restoration, Lewandowski said, an upcoming project will restore habitat along Meadow Lake and its sister lake to the south, Willow Lake, both of which were created for the 1939 Worlds' Fair.
Another project will provide new entryways for the southern portion of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park.
