On August 6, 1932, the historic Riis Bathhouse opened…in pieces. At the time, it opened to the public when it was 60% complete before fully opening in 1933. Now, 94 years later, the restored Riis Bathhouse, is reopening in a similar fashion as the Rockaway Ocean Club. For the first time, later this summer, members and the public will get to preview the project nine years in the making, after the Bathhouse was closed to the public 54 years ago.
On Tuesday, June 23, The Rockaway Times got a tour of the progress as the partners behind the Rockaway Ocean Club get ready to open it in the first phase, hopefully, by the end of July, as they add some finishing touches. From cold, dark empty corridors that served as a refuge for pigeons, to a now illuminated, freshly painted and tiled interior, the Rockaway Ocean Club is ready to welcome people back to Riis Bathhouse on The People’s Beach. Soon, the pool will be filled, the garden will be planted, the bars will be stocked, and the doors will be open for the public to see portions of the historic building come back to life after five decades.
When the Riis Bathhouse was at its peak, it accommodated more than 8,000 beachgoers at once, and included a cafeteria, rooftop restaurant, solarium and an orchestra hall. Some of those elements are returning, with added extras, some open to members only, and most elements open to the public.
This summer, members will finally have access to the heated, freshwater outdoor pool, where they can lounge poolside in colorful striped chairs imported from Italy, and enjoy barbecues, or they can retreat to a members-only outdoor lounge and garden space for a quieter experience. Everything else will be accessible to the public. A courtyard space will feature a food truck with American fare, outdoor bars and live entertainment and ticketed events. The boardwalk will include retail shops like a store that has all your beach needs in case you forgot something and even a Hawaii-themed pop-up with items you can find in the Aloha state. There will also be a boardwalk café with a bar, snacks and subs this summer. In its preview season, everything will be open Fridays through Sundays, into October.
When the full Rockaway Ocean Club opens in 2027, there will be even more elements for members and the public to look forward to. In 2027, the 28-room hotel and the second-floor members’ lounge, bar and eatery will be open. At that point, all member areas will be open to both members and hotel guests. The hotel rooms, with views of the ocean or the city skyline, will feature twin to king-sized bed options and a bathroom. And late in the 2027 season, or perhaps the following year, Rockaway Ocean Club is saving the best for last, the public rooftop bar and restaurant, where anyone can enjoy a meal or drink while overlooking a stunning full view of the Atlantic Ocean. As the phases roll out, the entertainment lineup and food offerings are expected to grow.
Clearing up concerns, the only private part of the project will be the pool and certain member areas. The public beach in front, will remain public. However, Rockaway Ocean Club will provide chair and umbrella kits to members that can be set up on the sand by request. Regarding the beach erosion, Rockaway Ocean Club has been in discussions with NPS and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to advocate for things like sand replenishment and jetties. And in the event of a major flood event, the building has been made resilient, with utilities placed at a high level, ground floor elements that are removable and in the worst case, they have a deployable barrier at the ready, which can wrap around the building to block floodwaters.
How did this all come to be? After the Bathhouse sat underutilized for nearly 50 years, apart from serving as headquarters for the Riis Park lifeguards, the National Park Service (NPS) decided it was time to see it restored and returned to its full glory. In 2017, NPS released a Request for Proposals, seeking someone to take on the challenge. Riis Bazaar’s Belvy Klein and Aaron Brudo, who had experience operating the concessions at Riis Park’s Bay 9 for several years, decided to go in on a proposal with a dream team that could make it happen. That included Ursula Damani, founding partner and chief marketing officer, Scott Shnay of CBSK Developers, Carlos Cardoso of historic architecture firm Beyer Blinder Belle, and others. Instead of pouring millions of tax dollars into restoring and operating the building themselves or opting for a large corporation to take on the project, NPS decided this small, intrepid group of New Yorkers, known as Bathhouse Lodge LLC, would be best for the monumental job and awarded them a 60-year lease.
A stipulation for the estimated $50 million job included restoring the Bathhouse to its historic glory, maintaining the historic elements like the original tile, making sure to not add replicated tiles, and even reverting some newer elements, such as removing bricks from windows that were once sealed up to allegedly prevent peeping toms from getting a look at ladies in the changing stations below.
After the group was selected in 2017, so began a long process full of unexpected turns that led to this moment of being able to open…nine years later. It required six years of acquiring the necessary funding, a disruptive Covid pandemic and squaring away entitlements to even begin the process. The group then officially signed the lease in October 2022 and after they closed financing in March 2023, construction was able to begin.
With so many delays, the team soon encountered another problem. What was supposed to be a $50 million project initially, now costs more in a different economic climate. Plus, they encountered construction delays. After expecting to open for a preview last summer, the project, which has now become an $88 million project, was once again set back. But the team is eager to open what they can and invite the public to enjoy some portions, as the transformation continues. “Between the financial situation and construction delays, it became like this million-piece puzzle, where the puzzle pieces kept changing shape,” Damani said. “As soon as you think you figured it out, something would change. But we’ve got to get this open. We’re committed. We were always going to do a phased opening and I really want to bring people along for this final restoration and have them come in and be a part of this rebirth. This is the People’s Beach, and this is a building for the people, and we want them to be part of the story.”
The team is looking forward to finally welcoming people back to the Bathhouse. “It’s surreal,” Damani said. “After the nine years of everything we’ve been dealing with, we’re ready to see people here and embrace this excitement.”
Although the waitlist is growing, applications are still open for membership for the Rockaway Ocean Club. All paying founding members get a free membership next year. Also, hiring is well underway, and applications are still being accepted. For applications and more information, check out: www.rockawayoceanclub.com
