Jones Beach – like it used to be

When Jones Beach State Park opened in 1929, then-State Park Commissioner Robert Moses had a vision of what a public beach should provide patrons — sumptuous bathhouses, a campanile water tower, miles of sandy beaches and boardwalk, public gardens, numerous recreational opportunities, restaurants and parking lots for thousands of cars. According to the New York State parks system, Jones Beach was an overnight success as 350,000 people crowded into the park during its first month of operation.

Eighty-six years later, Moses’ vision lives on, thanks to the New York State Parks $65 million revitalization plan that will transform Jones Beach to its former grandeur by 2020. This summer, the state will invest $10 million to make aesthetic and structural improvements that include upgrades at both bathhouses.

During the summer of 2014, the state began renovations on the exterior of the West Bathhouse (which is constructed of Ohio sandstone and Barbizon brick, hand-picked by Moses), the pools and cabanas and changing area.

This year, there will be a first-floor renovation at the West Bathhouse that will include a new food service and retail area with a pedestrian connection to the pool.

“Upstairs we have something very special planned,” said George Gorman, Jr. deputy regional director of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Friendly’s Ice Cream Parlor will be closed in order to create an event space for catered affairs.

“It was once the Marine dining room,” Gorman explained. “Robert Moses had his office up here and there was also this nautical style dining area. The views from there are spectacular.” Although are no designs in place, the space will have a theme that will include “sand and sea,” Gorman said. The project should take about two years to complete.

The state is also rolling out its automated paid parking kiosks at the toll plazas on the Meadowbrook Parkway this summer. Gorman said last year’s the pilot program was “so successful that we are installing automated paid parking kiosks with credit and debit cards in the toll lanes,” he said. The kiosks will also be available at the East and West Bathhouse and at Field 10. The cost is $10 per car during the summer months when the beach is open for swimming.