After years of community conversation and complex construction, the Central Park Conservancy has opened the Davis Center at the Harlem Meer to the public. While the most visible change is the new building, with its state-of-the-art ice rink, Olympic-size pool, and new public green, the Center’s impact reaches far beyond these amenities.
Unlike the former Lasker Rink and Pool, which were operated by private concessionaires, the Davis Center is managed by the non-profit Conservancy, with NYC Parks operating the Gottesman Pool during the summer. This shift signals a broader change in focus toward community ownership and stewardship.
For visitors, this means new year-round access to the facility and a wealth of programming in Central Park’s north end—most of it free or low-cost, thanks to support from sponsors like JPMorganChase. This spring alone, the Davis Center’s Harlem Oval is hosting daily programs, including yoga and dance classes, meditation sessions, and fitness classes for older adults.
Darline Lalanne, the Conservancy’s director of public programs and general manager of the Davis Center, emphasizes that this programming reflects the surrounding community’s input.
“Everything the Conservancy does is done with the people, for the people, by the people,” Lalanne said. “All of our programming reflects [the] consistent and valuable input we have received from the community.”
To ensure that the Davis Center’s offerings remain focused on its mission to provide a place of respite from City life for all to enjoy, the Conservancy has partnered with local organizations like Multitasking Yogi and Go Hard Dance, which will facilitate some of the spring offerings while furthering their own community-centered missions and extending the Davis Center’s reach into Harlem.
For Colin Lieu, founder of Multitasking Yogi, the Davis Center is more than just a place to exercise. “Spaces like the Davis Center are the heartbeat of any community,” he said. “Having a reliable and state-of-the-art space for recreation and rest means that Harlemites of all ages can enjoy a space to connect with others.”
In Harlem, the idea that community centers can nurture residents’ overall well-being is not just a hypothetical—it’s already happening. In addition to funding the Davis Center’s community programs, JPMorganChase opened its first-in-the-nation Community Center Branch in Central Harlem in 2019, aiming to build trust, share financial health education, support local businesses, and expand access to wealth-building resources. The branch focuses on community connections: the space was built by local contractors, features portraits of neighborhood leaders by a Harlem artist, offers a free meeting space for residents and non-profits, and prioritizes opportunities for small businesses to host pop-up shops right on West 125th Street.
After five years, the impact is evident: checking accounts at the Harlem Community Center Branch increased by 2,256 percent from 2019 to 2023; personal savings balances grew by 73 percent; student checking accounts rose by 398 percent from 2021 to 2023; and 125 small business owners have graduated from Chase’s Coaching for Impact Program at the branch.
These results highlight what is possible when a thoughtfully designed, community-centered space creates real, measurable change in the community’s overall well-being. Community centers like Chase’s branch on West 125th Street and the Davis Center—built in partnership with, by, and for the people they serve—are vital resources for neighbors to connect and invest in their health, financial stability, and wellness.
And as JPMorganChase has shown over the last five-plus years and through its support in the Davis Center, the work is never over. As Lalanne puts it, “We’re in partnership with the community. It’s not just about opening up the Davis Center. It’s about ongoing legacy, and a lasting commitment to hearing the community’s needs and expanding our programming to meet those needs.”