By Meghan Drueding
We've had historic swimming pools on the brain lately. The Summer 2015 issue of Preservation magazine features a story on the architect Julia Morgan, who was known in part for designing unusually lovely pools. (Plus, it's another hot summer here in Washington, D.C., so the thought of a refreshing dip helps make our workday go swimmingly.)
Below, we've assembled a photo tour of six standout pools, three of them designed by Morgan. If you have other favorite historic pools, please let us know about them in the comments section.
McCarren Park Pool
During the summer of 1936, the Works Progress Administration opened eleven huge pools in New York City. One was the McCarren Park Pool, designed by Aymar Embury II. A 2012 rehabilitation project by Rogers Marvel Architects (now two separate firms) brought the long-closed Brooklyn facility into the 21st century while preserving the original brick bathhouse building and grand entry arch.
Berkeley City Club
Open to members and hotel guests of Berkeley City Club in Berkeley, California, this gracious, Julia Morgan-designed pool dates from 1930. Ceramic tiles arranged in graphic patterns, rows of tripartite windows and gigantic arches add a fairy-tale quality to the sturdy, reinforced-concrete space. There's also an observation deck for those who just want to enjoy the architecture without actually swimming.
Richmond Plunge
The 1926 Richmond Municipal Natatorium, known to most as the Richmond Plunge, had suffered significant structural damage by the time it closed in 2001. But the 160-by-60-foot pool reopened to the public in 2010 with an energy-efficient restoration and renovation. The project, led by Todd Jersey Architecture, included restoring the original tilework and clerestory windows. (For more on the Richmond Plunge, see our Preservation magazine story from Nov.-Dec. 2010.)
Neptune Pool
The Neptune Pool (currently drained for a restoration project) is one of the main attractions of Hearst Castle, William Randolph Hearst's palatial former residence in San Simeon, California. Julia Morgan designed it, along with the rest of the property, and its dramatic Greco-Roman flourishes make it a worthy counterpart to the ocean-view setting. For more on the Neptune Pool and the castle, now a part of the California State Parks system, visit the Hearst Castle website.
Waikiki's War Memorial Natatorium
This Beaux-Arts saltwater gem hasn't been open to the public since 1979. Designed by Lewis Hobart, it was built in 1927 in Honolulu as a memorial to World War I veterans. The 100-by-36-meter pool hosted famous swimmers such as surfer Duke Kahanamoku and actress Esther Williams, and generations of locals learned to swim there. The National Trust named it a National Treasure in 2014; for more information on the Natatorium, visit savingplaces.org.
Roman Pool
Also part of Hearst Castle, the indoor Roman Pool (shown at top) is a masterwork filled with natural light and fantastical tile mosaics by artist Camille Solon. Julia Morgan tucked the pool beneath a tennis court and designed it in a style Hearst Castle historian Victoria Kastner calls "whimsical Art Deco." The water's gleaming surface reflects the room's curved marble ladders, alabaster lamps and classically inspired marble statues.