The Lake, south of the 79th Street transverse, covers nearly 18 acres (7.3 ha).[57] Originally, it was part of the Sawkill Creek, which flowed near the American Museum of Natural History.[58][59] The Lake was among the first features to be completed, opening to skaters in December 1858.[60] It was intended to accommodate boats in the summer and ice skaters in winter.[60][57] The Loeb Boathouse, on the eastern shore of the Lake, rents out rowboats, kayaks, and gondolas, and houses a restaurant.[61][62][63] The Lake is spanned by Bow Bridge at its center,[63] and its northern inlet, Bank Rock Bay, is spanned by the Bank Rock or Oak Bridge.[64][59] Ladies' Pond, spanned by two bridges on the western end of the Lake, was infilled in the 1930s.[59]