Central Park's iconic Boathouse permanently closing in October

The Big Apple’s iconic boat house in Central Park will close this summer, as operation costs skyrocket.

The boathouse has been a landmark venue in the city for weddings, rowboat rentals, and the Loeb Boathouse restaurant.

Owner Dean J. Poll formalized the decision to close the boathouse this month in a notice filed with the New York State Department of Labor. He cites “rising labor and costs of goods,” as the main reason for his decision.

The boathouse’s 163 employees will be laid off and the venue will permanently close on October 16.

“We’re actually in good faith negotiations with the Parks Department to see what we can do to get through this,” Poll told The New York Post.

After more than 20 years of running the boathouse, Poll is seeking a new owner to take over the reins of the venue that was opened to the public in 1954.

But Poll does not seem so optimistic. "I've been there for 21 years. The economics just don't work anymore," he said.

The restaurant temporarily closed in October 2020 during the pandemic, returning with a grand re-opening in March 2021. But Poll claims the pandemic had nothing to do with his decision.

“COVID has nothing to do with anything. The volume was there,” Poll said. “But the expenses just eat away at it.”

One of the venue’s largest expenses comes from the city of New York, which requires him to pay either 7.2% of gross receipts or a fee of $1.7 million.

The city is also looking for a new operator for the venue, according to Parks Department spokesperson Crystal Howard.

"It is our intention to engage a new operator as soon as possible — the Boathouse is not permanently closing," she told Gothamist. "We are working in good faith with the current operator in an effort to accommodate those individuals who have an event already scheduled at the Boathouse."