Press Releases

NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue joined State Senator Nathalia Fernandez, State Assemblymember Michael Benedetto, Community Board 10 Parks Committee Chair Terence Franklin, and the Urban Park Rangers to celebrate the reopening of the Orchard Beach Nature Center in Pelham Bay Park following a reconstruction project.

“The upgrades to Orchard Beach Nature Center enhance the visitor experience at New York City’s largest park, providing a state-of-the-art facility for public programming and environmental education,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “Our nature centers serve as hubs for learning, offering workshops for the entire family and educational displays that foster a deeper connection with the natural world. Along with the ongoing reconstruction of the historic Orchard Beach pavilion, Parks is committed to improving amenities at Pelham Bay Park to ensure all New Yorkers have access to world-class public greenspaces.”

The reconstruction project fully renovated the nature center’s interior to provide ADA accessibility and an open, flexible layout to enhance programming by the Urban Park Rangers. It also upgraded the facility’s plumbing and electrical systems and added new public restrooms. In addition, the project created a fully accessible path from the promenade onto a new ADA ramp to access the center.

The $2.35 million reconstruction project was funded by the NYC Mayor’s Office.

First opened in 1986, the Orchard Beach Nature Center hosts innovative programs by our Urban Park Rangers, includes educational displays about wildlife and nature at Pelham Bay Park, and features live marine creatures from Long Island Sound. The center will also be used for overnight camping programs at Orchard Beach.