CENTRAL PARK, NY — After a yearlong renovation, the Dairy Visitor Center and Gift Shop has reopened in Central Park, ready to welcome people back inside the refurbished Victorian-style cottage.
Work began last September at the Dairy, which was constructed between 1869 and 1871. It was built as part of a "children's district," before the era of modern-day playgrounds, and got its name from the fresh milk and snacks that were doled out to kids and their families.
In 1979, the Dairy was remodeled as the park's first visitor center, and a 1981 renovation spruced up the building after years of neglect.
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The latest renovation included repairs to the exterior masonry, replacing and waterproofing the roof, restoring the colorful open-air porch, upgrading mechanical systems to enable climate control, and redesigning staff and support spaces.
The Dairy is located in the lower middle of the park, just below the 66th Street transverse and north of Wollman Rink. It was designed by Calvert Vaux, the co-architect of Central Park, intended to resemble a Victorian country cottage, according to the Central Park Conservancy.
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"The Conservancy is proud of its work to restore and increase access to this welcoming and historic section of the Children’s District," Conservancy President and CEO Elizabeth W. Smith said in a statement. "The Dairy, with its open-air loggia, is a wonderful place to start your Central Park exploration and learn more about the Park’s history."
Included in the same children's district are Heckscher Playground and Ballfields, the Chess & Checkers House, and the Carousel, all located steps away in the same part of the park.
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