Bronx's Floating Pool Lady Opens as Nation's Only Floating Pool

The Floating Pool Lady, a half‑Olympic‑size pool housed in a renovated cargo barge, is now permanently docked at Barretto Point Park in the Bronx. Operated by NYC Parks, the free facility uses chlorine‑treated water and offers changing rooms, lockers, and a sprinkler station. Named for urban planner Ann L. Buttenwieser, who advocated for a floating pool in all five boroughs, it is the only floating pool in the United States.

The pool revives a historic tradition of public floating baths that existed in New York from the 1870s until the 1940s. A future self‑filtering floating pool is planned for the East River off Pier 35, though delays mean it likely will not open until next year.