Fleishhacker Pool

[Kristin Moore]

Fleishhacker Pool

Town    San Francisco, California
Country    United States
Coordinates    37°44′01″N 122°30′22″W / 37.733477°N 122.505978°W / 37.733477; -122.505978Coordinates: 37°44′01″N 122°30′22″W / 37.733477°N 122.505978°W / 37.733477; -122.505978
Started    1924
Completed    1925
Demolished    2000

Fleishhacker Pool was a public saltwater swimming pool located in the southwest corner of San Francisco, California next to the zoo for 47 years. It was the largest swimming pool in the United States and it was said that it could be seen from space.

[Kristin Moore]

It was built by philanthropist and civic leader Herbert Fleishhacker in 1924, and opened April 22, 1925. The pool measured 1,000 by 150 ft (300 by 50 m), held 6,500,000 US gal (24,600,000 L) of seawater, and accommodated 10,000 bathers. The pool was so large the lifeguards required kayaks for patrol, and was used by the military for drills and exercises. The pool water was pumped from the Pacific Ocean, filtered and heated. The pool's heater could warm 2,800 US gal (11,000 L) of seawater from 60 degrees to 75 degrees Fahrenheit each minute. This resulted in a constant pool water temperature of 72 degrees for AAU swim meets.[1]

The water provided by a series of pumps and piping at high tide, directly from the Pacific Ocean, 650 ft (200 m) away. There was also a diving pool measuring 50 ft (15 m) square and 14 ft (4.3 m) deep and a two tiered diving tower.

[Kristin Moore]

Decline

After years of underfunding and poor maintenance, the pool was showing some deterioration when a storm in January 1971 damaged its drainage pipe. Because the repair costs exceeded the City's budget, the pool was converted to a fresh water pool which resulted in poor water quality. As a result of the poor attempt at conversion and resulting water quality, the pool was closed by the end of 1971.[1]

In 1999, the San Francisco Zoological Society was granted ownership of the pool house, and it is not known what might become of it. The swimming pool itself was filled with rocks and gravel, with the space now serving as a parking lot for the zoo.[2] The poolhouse is currently derelict and occupied by the homeless.

[Kristin Moore]

Fleishhacker Pool house

[Kristin Moore]

http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=pphhphoto&fileName=ca/ca0600/ca0642/photos/browse.db&action=browse&recNum=0&title2=Fleischhacker%20Pool%20%26%20Bath%20House,%20Sloat%20Boulevard%20%26%20Great%20Highway,%20San%20Francisco,%20San%20Francisco,%20CA&displayType=1

http://www.terrastories.com/bearings/fleishhacker-pool-san-francisco