Swimming Pool: Difference between revisions

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When the pool was completed in 1917, it was {{Tooltip |text = 325 by 95 feet|tooltip = 99 by 29 meters}} and held 3 million gallons of water.<ref name="new" /> The east side of the pool was {{Tooltip |text = 18 inches|tooltip = 45.72 cm}} deep and gradually sloped to {{Tooltip |text = 9 feet|tooltip = 2.7 meters}} deep at the west end. Seats were installed on both sides at first<ref name="prospects">"Pool Prospects." ''The Columbus Sunday Dispatch.'' June 3, 1917. Page 52.</ref>. The water was first supplied by two 6-inch water mains using city water.<ref name="prospects" /><ref name="sanborn1922">''Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio.'' Sanborn Map Company, - 1922 Vol. 3, 1922, 1922. Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn06656_008/.</ref><ref>''General Map, The Olentangy Amusement Co., Columbus, Ohio,'' 1924.</ref> Later, the park had its own filtration plant.<ref name="cherrington">Cherrington, H. E. "Ohio In Pageantry And Some Other Play Topics." ''The Columbus Dispatch.'' June 22, 1930. Page 52.</ref> The pool was designed to drain and fill within a few hours for better sanitation<ref name="prospects" /> and later was tested daily by a chemist.<ref name="cherrington" /> It cost {{Tooltip |text = $15,000|tooltip = $374,764 in 2025 dollars}} to complete.<ref>{{Cite news |articletitle = Items From Olentangy|pub = Columbus Evening Dispatch|date = July 21, 1917|page = 12 }}</ref> In 1918, the pool was painted with white enamel inside and out,<ref>"Real Opening of Park Season." ''The Columbus Sunday Dispatch.'' May 26, 1918. Page 41.</ref> springboards were added, and 2,000 new bathing suits were received.<ref>{{Cite news |articletitle = Bathing Pool Open This Week|pub = The Columbus Sunday Dispatch|date = May 19, 1918|page = 5 }}</ref>
When the pool was completed in 1917, it was {{Tooltip |text = 325 by 95 feet|tooltip = 99 by 29 meters}} and held 3 million gallons of water.<ref name="new" /> The east side of the pool was {{Tooltip |text = 18 inches|tooltip = 45.72 cm}} deep and gradually sloped to {{Tooltip |text = 9 feet|tooltip = 2.7 meters}} deep at the west end. Seats were installed on both sides at first<ref name="prospects">"Pool Prospects." ''The Columbus Sunday Dispatch.'' June 3, 1917. Page 52.</ref>. The water was first supplied by two 6-inch water mains using city water.<ref name="prospects" /><ref name="sanborn1922">''Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio.'' Sanborn Map Company, - 1922 Vol. 3, 1922, 1922. Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn06656_008/.</ref><ref>''General Map, The Olentangy Amusement Co., Columbus, Ohio,'' 1924.</ref> Later, the park had its own filtration plant.<ref name="cherrington">Cherrington, H. E. "Ohio In Pageantry And Some Other Play Topics." ''The Columbus Dispatch.'' June 22, 1930. Page 52.</ref> The pool was designed to drain and fill within a few hours for better sanitation<ref name="prospects" /> and later was tested daily by a chemist.<ref name="cherrington" /> It cost {{Tooltip |text = $15,000|tooltip = $374,764 in 2025 dollars}} to complete.<ref>{{Cite news |articletitle = Items From Olentangy|pub = Columbus Evening Dispatch|date = July 21, 1917|page = 12 }}</ref> In 1918, the pool was painted with white enamel inside and out,<ref>"Real Opening of Park Season." ''The Columbus Sunday Dispatch.'' May 26, 1918. Page 41.</ref> springboards were added, and 2,000 new bathing suits were received.<ref>{{Cite news |articletitle = Bathing Pool Open This Week|pub = The Columbus Sunday Dispatch|date = May 19, 1918|page = 5 }}</ref>


It could accommodate 5,000 swimmers at a time. In [[1919 Season|1919]], over 15,000 swimmers used the pool per day.<ref name="fast">"Fast Check System." ''The Columbus Sunday Dispatch.'' June 8, 1919. Page 69.</ref> There were lifeguards on duty at all times.<ref>"Guarding the Pool." ''The Columbus Sunday Dispatch.'' July 27, 1919. Page 61.</ref><ref>"Olentangy Park Filled Early with Families Invited for the Day as Guests of Newspaper." ''Columbus Evening Dispatch.'' June 16, 1937. Page 1.</ref> It was open for visitors from 9 a.m. to close.
It could accommodate 5,000 swimmers at a time. In [[1919 Season|1919]], over 15,000 swimmers used the pool per day.<ref name="fast">"Fast Check System." ''The Columbus Sunday Dispatch.'' June 8, 1919. Page 69.</ref> There were lifeguards on duty at all times.<ref>"Guarding the Pool." ''The Columbus Sunday Dispatch.'' July 27, 1919. Page 61.</ref><ref>"Olentangy Park Filled Early with Families Invited for the Day as Guests of Newspaper." ''Columbus Evening Dispatch.'' June 16, 1937. Page 1.</ref> It was open for visitors from 9 a.m. to close. Members of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) swam for free.<ref>"Many of the G. A. R. Swim." ''Columbus Evening Dispatch.'' Sept. 11, 1919. Page 28.</ref>


Sand was eventually brought in to create a "beach of white ocean sand and seashells"<ref name="historian" /> for swimmers.  
Sand was eventually brought in to create a "beach of white ocean sand and seashells"<ref name="historian" /> for swimmers.  

Revision as of 00:21, 26 August 2025

Swimming Pool
Other Name(s) Bathing Pool
Type Activity Space, Sports
Park Section North
Built 1917
Opened 1917
Closed 1937 (park closure)
Length 325 feet (99 meters)
Width 95 feet (29 meters)
Cost $15,000$374,764 in 2025 dollars
Replaced Fair Japan
Ferris Wheel (1)
Ocean Wave

The Olentangy Park Swimming Pool opened in 1917[1] and was the second-largest swimming pool in the country[2] and largest in the Central States.[3] It was located between the Figure Eight and the Whirlwind coasters.[1][4]

When the pool was completed in 1917, it was 325 by 95 feet99 by 29 meters and held 3 million gallons of water.[2] The east side of the pool was 18 inches45.72 cm deep and gradually sloped to 9 feet2.7 meters deep at the west end. Seats were installed on both sides at first[5]. The water was first supplied by two 6-inch water mains using city water.[5][6][7] Later, the park had its own filtration plant.[8] The pool was designed to drain and fill within a few hours for better sanitation[5] and later was tested daily by a chemist.[8] It cost $15,000$374,764 in 2025 dollars to complete.[9] In 1918, the pool was painted with white enamel inside and out,[10] springboards were added, and 2,000 new bathing suits were received.[11]

It could accommodate 5,000 swimmers at a time. In 1919, over 15,000 swimmers used the pool per day.[12] There were lifeguards on duty at all times.[13][14] It was open for visitors from 9 a.m. to close. Members of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) swam for free.[15]

Sand was eventually brought in to create a "beach of white ocean sand and seashells"[4] for swimmers.

For a short time around 1920, there were slides in the pool, but they caused wear on the swimsuits and created a liability due to a number of accidents, and were removed.[16] Starting in the 1920s, the park started hosting diving and swimming contests and exhibitions. Leo and Elmer G. Haenlein remodeled the pool for the 1927 season, and The Ohio State University intramural swim team held a meet later that year.[17] In 1929, the tickets to swim included admission to the park.[18]

In 1924, a "sand beach" was installed on the east side of the Swimming Pool.[19]

Floodlights were added in the 1930 season to make night swimming possible.[8][20]

By 1938, the pool was in "desperate disrepair." Dimitri Gerou was hired by L. L. LeVeque to repair the pool and build the Olentangy Village Swim and Tennis Club. Gerou said the concrete of the decks was uneven and so broken that the metal was visible. "The filtration system was archaic and posed serious safety hazards for swimmers," he said in a 1999 Columbus Monthly article. It took him two years to repair it. The pool and bathhouse remained in use and was open to Olentangy Village tenants[21] for free and nonresidents for a fee.[22][1][23][24][4][25][26] The pool was made smaller and smaller over time and was removed in 2005 to build more apartments.

Bathhouse

A large L-shaped bathhouse was also added at the northwest end of the pool. It was staffed by attendants, separated by gender, and had lockers and showers. A new check-in system was installed in 1919 after the checking room was enlarged. There was a larger staff to help visitors change, and valuables were checked in a separate room with sealed and signed envelopes for better security. An outdoor shower was added to the bathhouse to force swimmers to help keep the pool clean, and the swimmers acclimated to the chilled water.[12]

Swimsuits and Supplies

Manager Will D. Harris supplied the bathhouses with 3,500 bathing suits when it opened.[5] He later increased the number to 7,000. They were able to be washed and dried within 10 minutes after use.[2] By 1924, the park supplied 3,000 swimsuits -- 1,000 for women and 2,000 for men. The park would promote buying personal swimsuits in the summer, and it saved the park money. The number of visitors bringing their own suits went from less than 3 percent in 1917 to 35 percent in 1924. The admission cost was the same. Suits were bought from Myer-Hess Company Suits in Chicago. The women's side of the bathhouse was supplied with caps and stockings and the men's side with caps and jock straps for purchase. Visitors could also buy towels. In the first years these were offered, the caps and towels clogged the drains and shut down the pool at times. The Haenlein brothers solved this issue by installing wires over the suction pipes.[27]

Exhibitions

Johnny Weismuller was one of the many artists who performed swimming and diving exhibitions.[4]

Costs

1918 season tickets for the pool were $3$63.87 in 2025 dollars for visitors.[28] Late in the season, pool tickets were often reduced, such as tickets for the rest of the 1919 season for the pool were $2$37.16 in 2025 dollars.[29] In 1924, the park hosted "Morning Swims" for children from 10 a.m. to noon where they only paid $1.84$34.59 in 2025 dollars with a coupon and supplied their own suit.[27]

Opening Season

Building Delays

Manager Harris wanted the pool to be finished by June 1, 1917.[30][31][5] During the building, the pool's size was enlarged from 300 by 80 feet91.44 by 24.4 meters to 325 by 95 feet99 by 29 meters. Forty to 50 men worked with two large concrete mixers in early June to complete the pool on schedule, but the construction went well past that date. The rush led to two workers, E. W. Thomas, 32, and J. H. Mink, 35, being injured by a steel beam from a cement conveyor. Thomas sustained scalp wounds and injuries to his right shoulder and back, and Mink sustained a broken left shoulder and numerous bruises.[32]

Suit Thefts

During its opening season, the park had more than 150 swimsuit thefts by mid-August. Attendants caught a woman using a suitcase to steal a suit, so bag checks became part of the policy. Visitors paid 25 cents$6.28 in 2025 dollars for a swimsuit, and the park paid more than $4$100.46 in 2025 dollars for each. Manager Harris believed people weren't malicious, just forgetful.[33]

Lifeguards

The first lifeguards were Carl V. Smith and Charles Wesley "Chic" Harley, an Ohio State University football player.[34][2] Ned Skinner was hired to be a lifeguard at the age of 13 and later worked at Zoo Park for over 20 years, becoming the full-time manager of Zoo Park by 1975.[35]

In 1919, Al Josephs, also known as "Old Dandy Joe," was the chief lifeguard at the pool. He had 35 years of lifeguard experience and had a connection with the park for 20 years. He previously was a lifeguard at Rockaway Beach, Long Island, New York, and later, a lifeguard at Coney Island, Atlantic City, Old Orchard Beach (Maine), and other locations. He told the Columbus Dispatch that he believed the pool had seen over 100,000 swimmers in the previous two years without a drowning incident. Josephs's assistant, Mike Pepe, was a former North High School football star and later employed at the Y.M.C.A. as a swimming instructor. Frank Dunigan, an expert swimmer and diver, was Josephs's second assistant.[36]

Additional Injuries

Dora Young sustained a broken arm in a fall at the Swimming Pool on July 5, 1919.[37]

Discrepancies

Some sources say the pool was only 300 by 80 feet91.44 by 24.4 meters when it opened.[3]

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Hyatt, Shirley. 2009. Clintonville and Beechwold. Arcadia Publishing.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 "New Park Pool Second Largest of Its Kind in United States." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. July 15, 1917. Page 42.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Olentangy Park." The News Gazette (Reynoldsburg, Ohio). Vol. 10. Issue 21. May 24, 1917. Page 2. Accessed through Newspapers.com https://archive.org/details/newsgazette1917000news/page/n71/
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Barret, Richard E. "Olentangy Park: Four Decades of Fun." Columbus and Central Ohio Historian No. 1. April 1984. Page 11.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 "Pool Prospects." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. June 3, 1917. Page 52.
  6. ↑ Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. Sanborn Map Company, - 1922 Vol. 3, 1922, 1922. Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn06656_008/.
  7. ↑ General Map, The Olentangy Amusement Co., Columbus, Ohio, 1924.
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Cherrington, H. E. "Ohio In Pageantry And Some Other Play Topics." The Columbus Dispatch. June 22, 1930. Page 52.
  9. ↑ "Items From Olentangy." Columbus Evening Dispatch. July 21, 1917. Page 12.
  10. ↑ "Real Opening of Park Season." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. May 26, 1918. Page 41.
  11. ↑ "Bathing Pool Open This Week." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. May 19, 1918. Page 5.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 "Fast Check System." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. June 8, 1919. Page 69.
  13. ↑ "Guarding the Pool." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. July 27, 1919. Page 61.
  14. ↑ "Olentangy Park Filled Early with Families Invited for the Day as Guests of Newspaper." Columbus Evening Dispatch. June 16, 1937. Page 1.
  15. ↑ "Many of the G. A. R. Swim." Columbus Evening Dispatch. Sept. 11, 1919. Page 28.
  16. ↑ Heinlaen, Leo. 1934. "Letter from Olentangy Park to Kennywood." Historic Pittsburgh. April 11, 1934. Accessed on May 14. 2022. https://historicpittsburgh.org/islandora/object/pitt%3A20210510-hswp-2029
  17. ↑ "Intramural Swim Meet to Be Held at Olentangy." Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio). May 25, 1927. Page 1.
  18. ↑ "Haenleins Plan Opening in May." The Billboard. Vol. 41. Issue 15. April 13, 1929. Page 60.
  19. ↑ "Olentangy Park." The Billboard. Aug. 15, 1925. Page 134. Accessed through Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/sim_billboard_1925-08-15_37_33/page/134/mode/2up
  20. ↑ Cherrington, H. E. "Looking Backward at Park and Forward to Film Season." The Columbus Dispatch. Nov. 9, 1930. Page 6-F.
  21. ↑ Foster, Emily. "Bob and Carol Pattin, 1930s and 1940s north side residents, on Olentangy Park." The Ohio State University District: A Neighborhood History. United States: History Press, 2014.
  22. ↑ Read, Dennis. "Olentangy Village pool: Closing a Clintonville landmark." Columbus Monthly. October 1999. Page 12. Accessed through Columbus Metropolitan Library. https://digital-collections.columbuslibrary.org/digital/collection/cbusmonthly/id/44030
  23. ↑ "Olentangy Pool to Remain." The Billboard. May 21, 1938. Page 42. Accessed through the Internet Archive. https://archive.org/details/sim_billboard_1938-05-21_50_21/page/42
  24. ↑ Franklin Survey Co. 1937. Map. City of Columbus, Franklin Co., Ohio. Vol. 1. Accessed through Ebay.com https://www.ebay.com/itm/235251834706
  25. ↑ Liebold, Chris. "Olentangy Amusement Park and Clinton-Como Park." Columbus Foundation Fellowship Programs. July 10, 2014. Blog. https://tcfsummerfellows.blog/2014/07/10/olentangy-amusement-park-and-clinton-como-park/
  26. ↑ Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Columbus, Franklin County, Ohio. Sanborn Map Company, Vol. 3, - Mar 1951, 1951. 1939 Map. https://www.loc.gov/item/sanborn06656_014/.
  27. ↑ 27.0 27.1 Heinlaen, Leo. 1925. "Letter from Olentangy Park to Kennywood." Historic Pittsburgh. Jan. 9, 1925. Accessed on May 14, 2022. https://historicpittsburgh.org/islandora/object/pitt:20210510-hswp-2052
  28. ↑ "Bargain Swimming Tickets." Columbus Evening Dispatch. July 31, 1918. Page 18.
  29. ↑ "Free Circus and Concerts." Columbus Evening Dispatch. Aug. 5, 1919. Page 22.
  30. ↑ "Pool for Olentangy." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. March 25, 1917. Page 48.
  31. ↑ "Big Park Is Opening." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. May 27, 1917. Page 49.
  32. ↑ "Workmen are Injured." The Columbus Evening Dispatch. June 8, 1917. Page 3.
  33. ↑ "Suits Disappear." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. Aug. 19, 1917. Page 58.
  34. ↑ Wittenmeier, Jack. "Starling's 'Smitty' Wraps Up 53-Year Coaching Career." South Side Leader. June 13, 1963. Page 7. Accessed through the Internet Archive https://archive.org/details/southsideleader100hart_4/page/n397
  35. ↑ Stout, Ned. "Zoo Park Season Starts with Look to Past." Columbus Dispatch. April 23, 1975. Page C-1.
  36. ↑ "Guarding the Pool." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. July 27, 1919. Page 5.
  37. ↑ "Sustains Broken Arm." The Columbus Sunday Dispatch. July 6, 1919. Page 6.


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