A 1936 WPA-built pool that closed in 1983, sat abandoned for 29 years, and reopened in 2012 — during its dormant decades it accumulated a murder, a decomposed body in a poolside shed, and a drowning-girl legend.
776 Lorimer Street, Brooklyn, NY 11222
Research updated June 2026
Age
All Ages
Cost
Free
Free public pool and park. Swimming requires pool wristband in season (free, from NYC Parks).
Access
Wheelchair OK
Flat urban park with paved paths
Equipment
Photos OK
Est. 1936 · WPA-built, designed by Aymar Embury II under Robert Moses, opened 1936 · Served Greenpoint and Williamsburg communities for 47 seasons · Closed 1983; sat abandoned for 29 years · 2008: decomposed body discovered in poolside shed · Reopened after $50 million restoration, June 2012
McCarren Park Pool opened on July 31, 1936, one of eleven pools built across New York City that summer by the Works Progress Administration. Designed by Aymar Embury II and developed under Parks Commissioner Robert Moses, the facility initially held 6,800 swimmers and drew a crowd estimated at 75,000 for its dedication — the largest opening-day gathering of that year's eleven pool celebrations.
For nearly five decades the pool functioned as the primary summertime gathering point for Greenpoint and Williamsburg residents. It closed after the 1983 season. When contractors arrived the following year to begin renovations, community members opposed the work, citing the facility's association with drug dealing and prostitution. The pool sat abandoned and sealed through the late 1980s and 1990s, accumulating graffiti and structural deterioration.
In July 2008, Parks Department workers investigating a persistent foul odor coming from a poolside shed opened it to find a badly decomposed body. Police were unable to initially determine the body's age, sex, or race. The discovery was reported by NBC New York and the Gothamist.
The pool grounds were converted to an outdoor concert venue during part of the abandonment period, hosting performances in the early 2000s. A $50 million renovation project restored the facility, and the pool reopened on June 28, 2012.
Sources
The haunting tradition at McCarren Park Pool centers on a drowned girl whose ghost is said to roam the grounds at night, crying for help. Paranormal investigators from Paranormal Investigation of NYC conducted a perimeter sweep and reported temperature drops and anomalous light formations, but found no evidence corroborating the identity of the reported spirit.
The one documented drowning on record involved Vernon Weiderhold, a 14-year-old boy, who died at the pool in 1977. No verified records of a female child drowning at the site have been identified, and the girl-ghost legend appears to have developed independently of the documented incident.
The pool's long abandonment — 29 years — and its documented history of crime and the 2008 shed discovery have contributed to its reputation as one of Brooklyn's haunted landmarks, a status it holds in part through its inclusion on Brooklyn dark-history walking tours and neighborhood ghost guides.
The minor-victim sensitivity applies here: this venue's legend involves an unverified child drowning. The documented victim was a teenage boy; the legend is framed as folklore, not as documented fact.
Notable Entities
The pool and its bathhouse are publicly accessible as part of McCarren Park, on the Greenpoint-Williamsburg border. The site is a regular stop on Brooklyn dark-history walking tours.
Every HauntBound history is researched from documented sources. We clearly separate verified historical fact from paranormal folklore.
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