Sports

  • Attractions,  Sports,  Swimming,  Swimming Pool

    Pool Prospects

    One of the most exciting new developments at Olentangy Park, overseen by Will D. Harris, the park’s lessee and operator, is the construction of a massive new swimming pool that’s nearly finished. The location is ideal, and once completed, it will be the largest inland swimming pool in the world. Until now, the largest of its kind was in Kansas City, measuring 200 by 63 feet. The new Olentangy Park pool will measure 300 feet long and 80 feet wide, with a total surface area of 24,000 square feet.

    The pool will be 18 inches deep at the east end and gradually slope to a depth of nine feet at the west end. This design caters to both beginners and experienced swimmers, offering everyone a safe and enjoyable experience. Seating will be available on both sides of the pool for thousands of spectators. The bathhouses, built in an L-shape at the pool’s northwest end, will have separate sections for men and women, each staffed with professional attendants.

    Harris has also purchased 3,500 swimsuits, all of the latest styles, for public use. Water for the pool will be supplied by two six-inch pipes connected to the city’s water system. The pool’s design allows it to be drained and refilled within just a few hours, making it easy to maintain cleanliness and water quality, especially during hot weather.

    Excavation is complete, and most of the concrete work is finished. Construction on the bathhouses is already underway, and the pool is expected to open to the public in just a few weeks. Harris has announced that by 3 p.m. next Saturday, the pool will be ready and filled with water. To meet this deadline, a team of 100 workers will be on site all week, using two large concrete mixers to complete the job.

    Based on “Pool Prospects.” The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. June 3, 1917. Page 52. (Digital Archives)