Philanthropist’s $40M donation to Brooklyn Bridge Park will fund fieldhouse

Brooklyn Bridge Park was the beneficiary of a $40 million donation, the New York Daily News reported, the largest ever made to a city park. The donation was made by Joshua Rechnitz, who comes from a family of wealthy philanthropists, and will allow the city to build a fieldhouse near Pier 5 On Furman Street with a boathouse, a cycling track and a multi-purpose court that can be used for tennis and basketball.

Park supporters have been pushing for a more modest indoor athletic center at the park for years, but they couldn’t fund the development of one. The news that the park has been offered an incredibly generous $40 million donation to achieve this goal is a welcome step forward,” said state Sen. Daniel Squadron.

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Rechnitz is a cycling enthusiast and hopes the fieldhouse, which would open in 2016 pending approval from the park board, will help make the city a global hub for the sport. [NYDN]