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On July 4, a small group gathered at Jacob Riis Beach in Queens, New York, with handmade signs and zines. They were protesting the conversion of a public bathhouse — a 1930s architectural gem — into a private beach club, set to open on August 15.

The response was warm, and beachgoers cheered as the group passed. As the protesters approached the historic bathhouse, the mood shifted. The crowd skewed more toward families, and reactions ranged from curious to confused. The contrast in energy between the two sections illustrates something about who this beach still belongs to, and where that sense of belonging begins to thin.

That dividing line became even more clear later that evening, when I watched a U.S. Park Police officer approach a group of 20 to 30 predominantly Black queer and trans beachgoers who had gathered peacefully under a canopy tent since late morning, sharing food, coolers, and each other’s company without incident. The officer said they exceeded a permitted gathering size and called for backup; two more officers arrived. The group complied, packing up their tables and canopy.

Jacob Riis Beach has served for decades as one of the most famous cost-free public spaces in New York City, known especially as a gathering place for the LGBTQIA community since the 1940s. In June, I documented for Truthout the 60-year lease financing the bathhouse’s transformation, including a $15 million historic tax credit investment tied to the building’s status on the National Register of Historic Places. Roughly 60 percent of the restored building will remain open to the public; the rest will operate as a private, membership-based club. Ahead of its August 15 opening, marketing for the club largely ignored the significance of Jacob Riis Beach to New York’s LGBTQIA community.

Now, as the community prepares for the August 15 opening of the Rockaway Ocean Club, they continue to push for real accountability, and for a genuine seat at the table in shaping what comes next.

New York’s Iconic Queer Beach Faces Looming Privatization Scheme

Profiting Off the People’s Beach

The reopening of the beach club has brought a new wave of attention to the entities set to profit off its privatization. Among the figures tied to the bathhouse’s reopening is developer Jonah Bamberger, who has a known history as one of the city’s worst landlords, a history that Truthout has documented. In July, when New York news outlet Hell Gate asked about Bamberger’s role, Ursula Damani, a founding partner of the Rockaway Ocean Club, called him a “silent investor” with “zero involvement.”

Despite Damani’s comments, Bamberger has narrated the project’s origin story on multiple real estate podcasts. Bamberger’s company, Aulder Capital, once described itself on its own website as having been “awarded a 60-year concession,” contradicting Damani’s account.

Bamberger’s record, including a $2,124,845 civil penalty imposed in August 2025 for 148 open housing violations, remains undisputed. Public records show the 60-year NPS lease is held by Bathhouse Lodge LLC; Aulder Capital’s name does not appear. A FOIA request filed with the National Park Service to identify who’s actually behind these entities remains pending.

Reached for comment, Aulder Capital spokesperson David Myers said the archived website language reflected marketing rather than the firm’s actual role, and clarified that Bamberger’s interest is held through a separate entity, “passive, with no involvement in the operation or management” of the club. He did not address why........

© Truthout