Enhanced media lab at Red Hook Recreation Center unveiled

February 16, 2024 NYC Parks Department

A young woman gets creative in the the sound isolation booth at the Red Hook Recreation Center. Photo by NYC Parks/Daniel Avila

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NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue, Amazon Head of Community Affairs Carley Graham Garcia and community members recently celebrated the opening of an enhanced media lab at Red Hook Recreation Center.

The upgraded lab, which includes a sound isolation booth, studio speakers, animation technology and more, was made possible by a $100,000 donation from Amazon. Located near the NYCHA Red Hook East and West Houses, NYCHA’s largest Brooklyn development, the lab is open to the public as part of the recreation center, and New York City residents under 25 years old can use the lab for free.

“With this wonderful media lab, we’re expanding opportunities for Red Hook residents of all ages to develop vital digital media skills at a place they already know and love,” said NYC Parks Commissioner Sue Donoghue. “Our recreation centers aren’t just great for working up a sweat — they’re beloved community spaces where New Yorkers can explore their interests, gain new skills and connect with their neighbors.:

“We are thrilled to partner with NYC Parks to bring to life this media lab that will benefit members of the local community in Red Hook and beyond. We are particularly proud that our donation will help the youth who may not otherwise have access to these great tools, as they hone their skills to become the next generation of leaders in Brooklyn,” said Carley Graham Garcia, Amazon’s head of community affairs in New York.

The new enhanced media center at the Red Hook Recreation Center — Working with some of the equipment at the new enhanced media center at the Red Hook Recreation Center. Photo by NYC Parks/Daniel Avila

The media lab is equipped with a WhisperRoom sound isolation booth for audio production and studio speakers with a subwoofer. In the studio, recreation center members can also access M2 Mac Minis for photography, graphic design, video editing, and audio production; DSLR T8i cameras; iPads for stop-motion animation, drawing and mobile programming; and computers for internet access and regular computer use.

In addition to funding the upgrade of the media lab, Amazon’s donation also enabled the hiring of a new Media Education Instructor at the recreation center, who will help center members of all ages learn digital media skills and use the on-site technology.

Amazon, which operates three facilities in Red Hook, has made a number of contributions toward recreation opportunities and public space improvement in the neighborhood and throughout Brooklyn. In 2022 and 2023, Amazon sponsored the New Leader Hoops recreational basketball league at the Red Hook Recreation Center, for youth living in NYCHA’s Red Hook Houses. Amazon has also sponsored the Red Hook-based RETI Center barge, which provides environmental education programs and green economy training to local youth and low-income communities.

In recent years, Parks has invested millions of dollars to promote greenspace access and expand tree cover in Red Hook, prioritizing planting to replace trees lost due to Superstorm Sandy. Parks is in the third phase of a major project enhancing the center’s ballfields with state-of-the-art turf, fitness equipment and other recreational amenities, totaling $137.5 million across the project’s four phases. Parks is also embarking on a major $121 million renovation of the recreation center to upgrade the pool, make the center more resilient, and enhance the indoor programming spaces, with design beginning this summer.

On the northern end of the neighborhood, Parks recently completed a $4.3 million project at Harold Ickes Playground, constructing a skate park, BMX course, and new multipurpose play area above the entrance to the Battery Tunnel. Since 2022, Parks has planted 90 trees on streets and in parks in Red Hook, providing shade cover and improving air quality for Red Hook residents.