The ribbon cutting at the Jones Beach East Bathhouse marks more than the reopening of a beloved landmark. It signals a renewed commitment to the idea that public architecture earns its place by continuing to serve the public. After sitting vacant for 17 years, the East Bathhouse returns as a civic destination that welcomes more New Yorkers to the water while preparing one of the state's most recognizable waterfront landmarks for the decades ahead.

Designed by WXY, the rehabilitation reimagines a 1929 bathhouse for the realities of the twenty first century. The project preserves the character and ambition of the original complex while expanding who it serves and how it performs. Accessible changing facilities, a free learn to swim pool, a splash pad, and family focused amenities create a more inclusive experience that reflects how public space continues to evolve.

Rather than treating preservation as the restoration of a single moment in time, the design embraces the building's history as a series of layers. Original architectural fabric remains wherever possible. Durable additions from later decades find new purpose. Contemporary interventions respond to the proportions and material language of the historic complex without pretending to be part of it. Throughout construction, newly uncovered historic elements prompted design revisions that preserved more of the building than originally anticipated. The result feels continuous rather than reconstructed.

That approach reflects a larger shift taking place along coastlines around the world. Historic waterfront buildings face rising seas, stronger storms, and changing patterns of public use. Their survival depends not only on careful restoration but also on thoughtful adaptation. At Jones Beach, flood resilient strategies, geothermal energy, all electric systems, on site solar generation, and the substantial reuse of the existing structure demonstrate that resilience and preservation strengthen one another when approached as part of the same design challenge.

The project also advances a broader conversation about public health and climate adaptation. As hotter summers increase demand for safe places to cool off and persistent gaps in swimming access remain, public pools become essential civic infrastructure. The new aquatic facilities give children and families a place to build confidence in the water while extending the public value of one of New York's great waterfront destinations.

Jones Beach joins a growing body of WXY work that includes the Rockaway Boardwalk Reconstruction and the Coastal Conservation Center, projects that rethink how people meet the water as climate conditions change. Together they argue that the future of preservation depends not on freezing the past, but on ensuring that the places people cherish continue to welcome, protect, and inspire future generations.

Read the Governor's press release to learn more about the project