The Audubon Center opened on April 26, 2002, the birthdate of both John James Audubon and Frederick Law Olmsted. It is the result of a unique partnership between the Prospect Park Alliance and Audubon New York. After a four year, five million dollar renovation that restored the 97 year old building to its original beauty, the nation’s first urban Audubon Center opened. The center is the first of 1,000 nature education facilities to be built across the country by the year 2020, with a goal of reaching one in four schoolchildren nationwide. The first-of-its-kind center in Brooklyn will serve as a model for environmental education in urban areas.


                                                                                                                                       Boathouse, c. 1909

The National Audubon Society is named after John James Audubon, a 19th century naturalist and wildlife artist. The first Audubon Chapter was formed in 1886 in response to the widespread extermination of birds, the extinction of bird species and the need for laws protecting endangered wildlife. By 1899, nearly 20 states had formed Audubon societies, and in 1905, the chapters incorporated into the National Association of Audubon Societies for the Protection of Wild Birds and Animals. Since its inception, the Society’s environmental research and political advocacy has resulted in the protection of endangered species and the restoration of essential habitats, while providing educational resources for millions of schoolchildren in the fields of science and nature. 

Landscape architects Olmsted and Vaux built the original Boathouse in 1876 as a rustic canopied structure on piers straddling the north end of the Lullwater. It spanned Binnen Falls and faced south rather than west. In 1905, this first Boathouse was replaced with the current Beaux Arts style building, designed by Frank J. Helmle and Ulrich Huberty, who later designed the Tennis House on the Long Meadow. Its design was inspired by the lower story of Sansovino’s Library of St. Mark, built in 16th-century Venice. The white matte-glazed terra cotta facade is adorned with Tuscan columns capped with a balustrade. The building was relocated to the Lullwater’s eastern edge to provide a vantage point for lovely sunset views over the water.
The Boathouse quickly became popular with Park visitors and photographers, who made it the subject of many color postcards of the time. After boating facilities were moved elsewhere, the Boathouse alternately housed the Prospect Park Visitor Center, a cafe, and the Brooklyn Borough headquarters of the Urban Park Rangers. Although years of neglect triggered the City’s decision to demolish the building in the 1960s, community protest saved the historic Boathouse 48 hours before its scheduled demolition. The City of New York granted it landmark status in 1968, and it was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

The Camperdown Elm is the single most noteworthy example of European trees in Prospect Park. Located to the southeast of the Boathouse beside the footpath on the west side of the Cleft Ridge Span, the Camperdown Elm is the result of grafting a part of a unique Scotch elm from Dundee, Scotland, onto a native Scotch elm trunk. Believed to have a genetic mutation that causes it to grow horizontally instead of upward, the elm was planted in 1872 and continued its odd pattern of growth. Unlike other elm trees in the Park, the Camperdown Elm has so far been mysteriously immune to the ravages of Dutch elm disease.


Restoration
The Boathouse received a new terra cotta façade in 1971. However, the new face proved not to be water resistant, and after extensive water damage the Boathouse was closed to the public in July 1997. It remained closed while undergoing a complete renovation, and reopened on April 26, 2002 as the site of the nation’s first urban Audubon Center.

The $5 million renovation, begun in 1999, focused on the faithful reconstruction of the beautiful terra cotta façade of the building. Interior walls and ceiling were cleaned and repaired. Wood window frames were replaced and structural elements were reinforced. The mechanical and electrical systems in the building were also upgraded and a boat dock was constructed.

The Boathouse restoration was designed by the Prospect Park Alliance Design and Construction team, including architect Ralph Carmosino, landscape architect Christian Zimmerman and construction supervisor Paul Daley. The project was made possible through the generous support of The Office of the Mayor of the City of New York, the Brooklyn Delegation to the New York City Council and Independence Community Foundation.


Click here to see the Prospect Park Audubon Center today.