Death Pool: McCarren Pool At Night , Crooklyn, NY


 Our approach to the pool was rapid, deliberate, and purposeful. We were going to break in. Period. No amount of fencing or barbed wire would stop us.

We survey the front side. The gate is locked down solid. Occasional pedestrians provide some level of annoyance to our effort. Unfazed, we moved along the south side. The streets are quiet here, perfect place for some metal cutting action. In mere seconds we have our access point. I slip the infamous red handled clippers back into my bag and slide on beyond the fence like a well lubed politican. Ms. Rabbit follows, and the conquest begun.

It's a short few steps into the hole and behind the weed line before you are at the outer wall of the pool Made of brick and long iron gating, topped with barbed wire, access at first seems uncertain. We move north along the rim, and soon find steps upward. We are now on the pool building itself, overlooking the entire facility. This is a wondrous vantage point. We proceed along this solid roofing to a second set of steps, leading directly to the tower above the main arched entrance. This is a cube-like structure with a large path which wraps around it. It is on these walls where the most elaborate of the graffiti can be seen at this location. You can also look down onto the rooftops of the 2 locker rooms which compose the main portions of the building (to either side of the main entrance). On the roof of the locker room to the north side is a large pool of rain water - testifying to the fact that while it's drainage may be clogged, the roof itself has largely resisted the water. Both sides seem to be tightly shut, and likely have not been accessed since being sealed.

We walk back down the steps, and away from a lone homeless person sleeping (and snoring loudly) in one of the corners up there. At the bottom of the steps we hear this locations other 2 homeless residents: 2 men talking to each other in what might have been Polish or Russian. They are squatting in an area right next to the pool's main entrance.

There is a ladder down into the pool here, though. We opt to head back down the first set of steps, and it's only about a minute before Rabbit pulls open a doorway in the iron gating.

Immediately inside is the diving pool. It's depth is hidden in the weeds which have grown inside of it. Nearby is the battered remains of a diving platform.

We proceed east, and then north, along the outer edges of the pool. Here stand 2 small buildings, once used for water filtration when the pool was still in use.

We wrap around and into the main entrance. In the center is the battered admission booth, torched and graffitied. To the southwest, the entrance frames a view of the world trade center.

The pool itself is coated with paint, which is peeling off. If you walk on it, it will crunch under your feet. This is likely a bad idea, as this could be lead based paint, and that's just one more thing you don't need to be breathing in.

While the outside of this location provides some vivid visual input, we are convinced that the real treasury of this location remains undiscovered - and that is breaking into the locker rooms and or filtration rooms. They are likely exactly as they were when sealed, providing a potentially rare time capsule.

Main entrance & admission both.

Walking towards the structure above the entrance.

Up the graffiti covered steps.

And around the unauthorized museum.

Heading back down...

The diving pool.