Prospect Park has snagged some cash from a big donor for its once-embattled mega-skating rink — and when it opens next year, you can toast the new center in a corporate-branded cafe.
JPMorgan Chase Foundation has pledged $1.6 million to help complete the $74-million Lakeside Center, which will include an indoor-outdoor building for educational and recreational events, two rinks for ice and roller skating all year round, and a restored waterfront ecosystem more in line with Olmsted and Vaux’s original design.
The Lakeside Center project, whose budget ballooned two years ago from a projected $50 million, is 85 percent complete.
“[We] are proud to help build this environmentally friendly facility that New Yorkers can enjoy during all four seasons,” said Kimberly Davis of the JPMorgan Chase Foundation.
Chase’s donation follows contributions from the Bloomberg Administration and Borough President Markowitz, who allocated $28.5 million from a capital budget he controls.
The Center is on track to open next winter — and when it does, chilly skaters will be able to warm up in the “Chase Café,” one of four bank-branded facilities in the center.
