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Gertrude Ederle Recreation Center

W. 59 St., W. 60 St., bet. Amsterdam Ave. and W. End Ave.

Manhattan

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This text is part of Parks’ Historical Signs Project and can be found posted within the park.

This Recreation Center is named in honor of Gertrude Ederle (1905-2003), who was a world-class swimmer and the first woman to swim across the English Channel.

Born to German immigrants, Ederle was raised on the Upper West Side of Manhattan at 108 Amsterdam Avenue, above her father’s butcher shop. As a girl, her father taught her how to swim at their summer cottage in New Jersey. By her late teens, she was a champion swimmer and a member of the Women’s Swimming Association. Ederle went on to win several medals, including the gold at the Paris 1924 Olympics, and held twenty-nine national and world amateur records by 1925.

On August 6, 1926, Ederle became the first woman to swim across the English Channel. Departing from Cap Gris Nez, France, she landed on the shores of Kingsdown in Kent, England in 14 hours and 39 minutes.

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Know Before You Go

Recreation Centers
Gertrude Ederle Recreation Center
Beginning Monday, June 23, 2025 the indoor pool at Gertrude Ederle Recreation Center will have reduced hours for the duration of this summer.
Recreation Centers
Gertrude Ederle Recreation Center

Membership Extension



During the summer, we have had to temporarily reduce operating hours at several of our indoor pools. We understand the impact this has had on our members, and we want to ensure that our members have as much pool time and access as possible.





That said, we are offering qualifying individuals the opportunity to extend their membership by three months for free. To be eligible to receive the extension, you must meet all three qualification criteria:







          
  • Have obtained your membership prior to June 26, 2025, and were an active member on that date.


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  • Be a paying member who possesses either an adult indoor pool membership or a senior, people with disabilities, or veteran membership.


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  • Have visited a qualifying indoor pool site between January 1, 2025 to June 26, 2025.

          


                  
    • St. John’s Recreation Center


      •             
    • Chelsea Recreation Center


      •             
    • Constance Baker Motley Recreation Center


      •             
    • Gertrude Ederle Recreation Center


      •             
    • Flushing Meadows Corona Park Aquatics Center


      •       


          




If you believe you meet these qualifications, you may submit a request by completing the online form. The deadline to opt-in for the extension is November 16, 2025.