New York City is searching for a new operator for Wollman Rink in Central Park. The lease is currently held by Wollman Park Partners (WPP), a joint venture that includes Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment, Related Companies and Equinox, along with several close partners, such as restaurateur Melba Wilson, the YMCA, Figure Skating in Harlem, The Boys’ Club of New York, and Green City Force. The lease is set to expire on October 31, 2026.
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“The Trump Organization and Related Companies both appear to be in contention to operate the ice-skating rink under a new 20-year contract set to begin in 2027,” reports Crain’s New York Business, which noted that Related, a real estate firm headquartered in New York City, is not partnering with Equinox or Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment in this bid.
Wollman Park Partners (WPP) refers to itself as a “coalition” on its website, but you can shovel that—according to Related, they’re now aligning with CityPickle, a pickleball company, Crain’s reported.
In February, the Trump administration swooped in to save Mayor Adams when it moved to drop federal corruption charges against the embattled New York City leader. “It marked an extraordinary deviation from longstanding norms of federal prosecutions, but, in many ways, was entirely expected, given the months of political intrigue involving closed-door talks and public overtures between the Democratic mayor and Republican president,” reported the Associated Press.
Does it take one to know one? The lifeline from convicted felon President Trump to Mayor Adams may have spared him from a five-count federal indictment by prosecutors in the Southern District of New York. The charges—conspiracy, wire fraud, soliciting illegal campaign contributions from foreign nationals, and bribery—would have made Adams the first sitting New York City mayor in modern history to face such an indictment.
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“Eric Adams owes Donald Trump now – and New Yorkers know it,” read an MSNBC headline about the ordeal on February 12. “That’s a stage whisper: Behave, or this can all come back to bite you,” the outlet added.
Meanwhile, at stake at the rink—just a short walk from the Plaza Hotel, which Trump sold in 1995 at an $83 million loss after purchasing it for around $407.5 million in 1988—is the question of who will control one of Central Park’s most iconic attractions.
It’s reported that the Wollman Rink facility generates an average of $13,757,315 in revenue each season for Related Companies and its partners since they took over in 2021, according to the city Parks Department. Related has also paid New York City an escalating annual fee that started at $3 million. Companies now bidding to take over Wollman will propose their own annual fees.
“Wollman Rink is an iconic New York City landmark, and alongside our new partner CityPickle, we hope to continue the work we’ve done to welcome thousands of New Yorkers and visitors from around the world for years to come,” Related spokeswoman Kayla Parker said. Related’s proposal includes capital improvements, upgrades to the electrical and plumbing systems, and some beautification work, according to Parker. CityPickle has been running pickleball courts at Wollman during the warmer months since 2023.
In November 2024, the New York Post ran an exclusive about the Trump Orgs interest in the rink. “We ran it beautifully for decades and we plan on doing so again,” Ron Lieberman, executive vice president of the Trump Org, told The Post, just a week after the former president won back the White House.
Mayor Adams is under heavy scrutiny for his decision on this slippery matter. “There is no indication that the mayor’s office has advocated for the Trump Organization,” reported the New York Times on March 15. “But the situation is awkward nonetheless, as the city’s Department of Parks and Recreation must evaluate a business owned by a family to which Mr. Adams is seemingly indebted.”
Manhattan Borough President Mark Levine and City Council Parks Committee Chair Shekar Krishnan urged Adams to reject the Trump Organization’s bid, saying accepting it would “send the wrong message about the city’s priorities and values,” in a March 7 letter to Adams.
Earlier this month, The City reported that the Adams administration had rejected a $120 million offer from the Central Park Conservancy to take over Wollman. The deadline to submit bids was before January 6.
“There’s a lot of tension in this town,
I know it’s building up inside of me,
I’ve got all the symptoms and the side effects of city life anxiety.
I could never understand why the urban attitude is so superior,
In a world of high-rise ambition,
Most people’s motives are ulterior”
— Billy Joel, Running on Ice
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Figure skaters who go there multiple times a week say Trump Org ran it much better, and that’s NOT a MAGA crowd!