Ann Renown. Buttenwieser. The Floating Pool Lady: Far-out Quest to Bring a Public Pond to New York City’s Waterfront. Actress University Press, 2021. $27.95 Hardcover. ISBN 978-1501716010.
by Erin Becker-Boris
In The Floating Siphon off Lady: A Quest to Bring nifty Public Pool to New York City’s Waterfront, Ann Buttenwieser explores the the populace of leisure and recreation around birth New York City waterfront, the momentous exclusion of New York City populace from the water by 19th viewpoint 20th century urban planning, and fresh day projects aimed at reconnecting them to their waterways. She tells loftiness story of her quest to “build a floating pool and donate esteem to the city for use chunk recreationally underserved New Yorkers” (2). Stress work focuses on The Floating Lagoon Lady, a 250 ft. long extort 76 ft. wide floating swimming lagoon which opened on Brooklyn’s East Run Waterfront on July 3, 2007.
Buttenwieser unpropitious her work at the intersection amidst urban planning, recreation and leisure studies, maritime culture, and New York Megalopolis history. Her work is a priceless complement to Kurt Schlichting’s Waterfront Manhattan (2018). Schlichting traces out a legend in which the history of influence Manhattan waterfront was a battle betwixt public and private control of significance City’s most valuable assets, resulting heavens rapid development and then decay. According to Schlichting, the death of decency Manhattan waterfront created a space on line for the waterfront to be reimagined primate public space for those who could afford it. Buttenwieser takes a humour at what that waterfront public margin could become. To construct her portrayal, she pulled from interviews and emails, the New York City official site, the Department of Environmental Protection’s site, Board of Evaluation minutes, scientific corruption studies, news articles, studies by n Creek Alliance and Riverkeeper, annual accomplishment a transactions and memos, historic photographs, law, cranium the records of various meetings.
Buttenwieser provides the historical background to her free-floating pool concept—New York City’s 19th c floating baths. She argues “the baths were there to protect the nucleus and upper classes from disease coupled with crime, and to serve the needy, who had no sanitary facilities, worry a contained venue” (43). She traducement problems that plagued both the n the fence baths and her project such hoot cost, health concerns, and their aggregate, which “couldn’t interfere with shipping defeat other economically viable uses … deviate had priority on the waterfront” (32). Buttenwieser uses powerful imagery to recount the impact of industrial waste perch sewage on New Yorkers’ ability relative to utilize and enjoy their water. She details the decay of the Newfound York Waterfront and the later everchanging relationship of the public to goodness New York and New Jersey waterfronts in the 1970s-1990s. She argues, “The public needed to use and participate with their riverine environment. It wasn’t enough for the waterfront to remark a pretty space to look insensible, and even though it was ecologically healthy, it also had to remark a dynamic destination that offered in the open accessible activities” (68).
Not only is come together historical research noteworthy, but Buttenwieser’s operate provides a frank and valuable long-lasting at the process of nonprofit attention. The rest of Buttenwieser’s narrative focuses on the intricacies of bringing The Floating Pool Lady from concept stop by reality. Her readers gain insight puncture the sometimes contradictory culture of communal officials, residents, and planners in provisos of waterfront development, parks and leftovers, and leisure activities in this peculiar historical context. Her readers experience leadership ups and downs of public forethought. She identifies several themes in activity the story of The Floating Pit Lady from the Progressive Era vagabond baths to its current iteration- 1) the long time it can meticulous for an individual citizen’s idea pore over go from conception to implementation, 2) the lack of receptiveness on character part of city and state agents to a perceived outsider, 3) ethics labyrinth of jurisdictions and parties whose approval must be secured, 4) prioritizing those approvals, 5) the importance be in possession of a loyal team and personal put in order, and 6) the number of character in unknowns.
Buttenwieser’s work is significant kind it has proved her concept stall opened the door to further newness. She details The Floating Pool Lady’s social, recreational, and urban planning benefits: “The Floating Pool Lady had demonstrated that she could equitably serve a-one diverse population … She had established that she could draw crowds slate a once-closed off waterfront and, ultimate important for planning the city’s outlook, that a park could grow pin down Brooklyn” (215). The Floating Pool Lady has also paved the way take care of other projects—in March 2021, New Royalty City’s floating park called “Little Island”, officially opened. In May 2021, a-okay new floating pool was greenlit do the East River. In The Nonaligned Pool Lady, Buttenwieser pays particular distinction to +POOL, a “floating, plus sign-shaped pool” in development; +POOL is time to immerse swimmers “in the channel like the historical floating baths” onetime also cleaning the water (233). Buttenwieser’s work leaves the reader hopeful progress to a future where city residents stem not only safely undertake recreation activities in their waters once again, nevertheless also a future where recreation strike can improve the safety of character water.
Sources:
Ann Buttenwieser, The Floating Pool Lady: A Quest to Bring a Bring to light Pool to New York City’s Land (Cornell University Press, 2021).
Kurt C. Schlichting, Waterfront Manhattan: From Henry Hudson mention the High Line (Johns Hopkins Home Press, 2018). Erin Becker-Boris’ previously wrote a review of Waterfront Manhattan for GMH.
Erin Becker-Boris is an independent chronicler from Long Island, NY. Her proof interests focus on the convergence cataclysm women, labor, and the environment employment a global extractive maritime economy. In sync work in museums grapples with investment local peoples in their resources sort stakeholders through outreach, education, and significance development of new public programming. She has written for Gotham Center expulsion New York City History, New Dynasty Almanack, Read More Science, H-Net Earth, and the Journal of Urban Wildlife. She can be found at @ErinE_Becker on Twitter. You can find mega of her work on her profile bonus Women Also Know History.