Credit: John Bartelstone

Jones Beach Boardwalk Café

BBB designed a contemporary, site-specific resilient café building as part of the revitalization of Jones Beach State Park.

The new Boardwalk Café at Jones Beach's Central Mall replaces the original building that burned down in 1964. Contemporary in design, the building features a palette of stone and brick akin to the 1930s-era building original to the site. A twin tensile roof structure – evocative of waves and sails – creates a dramatic interior as well as marks the building from afar along the beach. A series of stone masonry piers honors the footprint of the original building. The central design challenge was FEMA's requirement that the building be elevated 20 feet above the water and out of the coastal flood plain. A progression of cascading outdoor dining terraces and landscaped berms serve to camouflage the many piles needed to support the building.

A masterpiece of civic planning and one of the crowning achievements of Robert Moses' legacy, Jones Beach had suffered the effects of age, unsympathetic alterations, and dwindling operational budgets. BBB worked with the New York State Office of Parks on a Master Plan that balances restoration of the park's existing Art Deco buildings, the need for modern, updated facilities, and resilient design.

 

Client

New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation

Location

Wantagh, NY

Size

7,700 SF

Completed

Summer 2018

Construction Cost

$19,957,000

People

FAIA, AICP
Partner Emeritus
Partner-in-Charge
AIA, LEED AP
Principal
AIA, LEED AP
Senior Associate, Architect