Dinosaur Playground Bathrooms Get A $3 Million Upgrade: Here's What To Know

UPPER WEST SIDE, NY — The dinosaurs can stay prehistoric. The bathrooms are ready for an update.

Dinosaur Playground in Riverside Park is getting $3 million in state funding to renovate its heavily used public restrooms and historic pavilion, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Friday.

For families who frequent the playground near West 97th Street, the investment promises improvements to a decidedly practical part of any park outing: the bathroom break.

Built in the 1930s, the pavilion houses the only public restrooms in the immediate area. Decades of heavy use and water infiltration have left it with rusted doors and partitions, outdated fixtures, poor lighting, damaged ceilings and accessibility challenges, according to the announcement.

The renovation will bring new finishes, improved lighting, updated fixtures and accessibility improvements. The work also includes repairs to the roof, terrace and stairs, new waterproofing, upgraded drinking fountains and restoration of the building’s masonry, ironwork, windows and other architectural details.

“Public restrooms are basic infrastructure, and families at Dinosaur Playground have made do with deteriorating facilities for far too long,” Assemblymember Micah Lasher said in a statement.

Councilmember Gale Brewer said local officials have spent years seeking funding to repair and upgrade bathrooms throughout the district.

“These are expensive, long-neglected infrastructure needs that cannot be fixed with a new sink or a coat of paint,” Brewer said.

The project addresses a broader problem in Riverside Park. Many of its 12 public restrooms date to the 1940s and face chronic closures, deferred maintenance and accessibility challenges, according to Riverside Park Conservancy.

The conservancy will receive the funding, which the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York will administer.

No word on a construction start date or completion timeline yet.

For questions, email Miranda.Levingston@Patch.com.