Restaurant with outdoor patio space proposed for Williamsburg’s McCarren Park

A restaurant with outdoor seating could be coming to McCarren Park in Brooklyn next year. The city’s Parks Department is working with the owners of the entertainment venue Brooklyn Night Bazaar, which closed its doors permanently last fall, to bring a new concession to the McCarren Park House, a structure built in the early 20th century and designed by McKim, Mead, and White. As Brooklyn Paper first reported, the restaurant, expected to open in spring 2021, would help finance a $1.2 million renovation of the crumbling comfort station’s facilities.

Rearview with outdoor patio space; Rendering by Inca Architecture

Proposed front elevation view, with the proposed new building for storage on right; Rendering by Inca Architecture

“We are excited about the restoration of the McCarren Park House and all the benefits adding a concession here will bring,” David Cerron, assistant commissioner for concessions at Parks, said in a statement. “It helps reactivate this space and encourages parkgoers to enjoy the amenities of this snack bar right in their own backyard.”

The comfort station, which first opened in 1911, is located at the northern end of McCarren Park and is bordered by Bedford Avenue, Lorimer Street, and Driggs Avenue.

The Parks Department and former Bazaar owners Aaron Broudo and Belvy Klein presented their proposal to Community Board 1 earlier this month. The plan includes adding concession space at the rear end of McCarren Park House that would offer indoor and outdoor dining space.

The outdoor space includes two park-facing patios within “a bush-lined courtyard,” according to Brooklyn Paper. Broudo and Klein hope to get a liquor license, which requires State Liquor Authority approval. One board member expressed concern over the open concept of the restaurant that would make it easy for diners to walk into the park with alcoholic beverages. The owners said they would hire security to enforce the boundary, which will also be marked by the bushes.

The revamp of the historic building includes renovating the bathrooms, replacing windows and doors, fixing the exterior’s peeling paint, and making it compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act. A storage facility would need to be built on the side of the structure.

[Via Brooklyn Paper]

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Renderings by Inca Architecture, courtesy of NYC Parks