This file portion of www.watertownhistory.org website
Old Municipal Bathing Beach
Old Watertown Swimming Pool
Opened on June 14, 1942
New Watertown Aquatic Center
Municipal
bathing beach
1920’s
Boughton
Street municipal swimming beach, prior to construction of pool.
1920’s, late
For about 10 years, starting back in the late
1920s there was a lot of agitation for a swimming pool to replace the
Boughton Street beach.
The old swimming hole on Rock River right at
the Division/Boughton Street bridge,
just a few blocks from the current setting. Back then, the community became
more and more concerned about swimming in the Rock River and decided a much
safer environment was needed. That's
when the push started for a pool to be constructed through this federal
program. In addition to the dangers of
swimming in the river, just about when summer peaked the slow and nonexistent
flow of water caused the state health department ordered the "beach"
closed.
1938
In 1938 a referendum was presented to the
voters for a $15,000 bond issue to construct the pool as a WPA project. It passed 1,563 to 1,063. Later the common council voted to add $5,000
to the available money to make sure nothing necessary would be left out of the
project for lack of money.
1940
Construction began in the winter of 1940 with
the leveling of the hillside where the pool was to be constructed. The pool was actually completed in the fall of
1941 but the bathhouse didn't get finished until June of the following year. The pool did open for one week at the end of
summer in 1941. It was filled to check
for leaks and city officials decided to let people use it for that one week
despite not having a bathhouse.
Old Swimming Pool Recalled
1942
06 14
The pool was officially opened on June 14, 1942
and by the time it was dedicated on July 5, as part of the annual Fourth of
July celebration, nearly 5,000 people had used the pool.
The old pool was 75 feet wide and 165 feet
long. The shallow end had a depth of
three feet and the deep end was 10 feet. Back then and for many years, there was a 10
foot high diving board and also two boards several feet off the water level. Diving off the high board was always exciting,
but as time went on there were concerns for safety and the high dive was
removed. The 10 foot depth was only in a
very small area and then it started rising quickly to the five foot level where
it gradually sloped back to the three foot level on the north side of the pool.
The pool also had a small separate baby
pool area which was just a few inches deep.
The bathhouse for the old pool was so
impressive that much of it was saved when the new aquatic center was built. The fieldstone which was used to build the old
bathhouse was actually found on the site when excavation work was undertaken. The building was 116 feet by 42 feet and is
eight inches thick.
People using the pool would pay their admission
fee and then would be given a large basket in which to put their clothes and a
towel. In the event more than 500 people
were using the pool youngsters were encouraged to share a basket. Often there were upwards of 1,000 people in
the pool at a time, more than the rated capacity of 900.
The original pool and bathhouse were designed
by then City Engineer Richard Podolske. He took into account many factors to make this
bathhouse the envy of many communities. He worked hard to be sure it was clean, that
there were no offensive odors and that damp and musty conditions were
eliminated to minimize any chances of skin diseases being harbored there.
George Lehmann, a local building contractor,
supervised the daily construction work while Podolske was the overall manager
of the project. Those who served on the
pool committee during planning and construction were John H. Bublitz, Francis
F. Darcey, Fred W. Pfeifer, Harry A. Beurhaus, George Fischer, E. F.
Zimmermann, E. G. Hubb, R. J. Hoge, John D. Clifford, Walter Nurenberg, Fred
Block, Amandus Krueger, and E. E. Brumm.
Admission prices that first year the pool was
open were 5 cents for children ages 5 to 12, 11 cents for children ages 13 to
18 and 17 cents for adults.
Season passes were $2.20 for children ages 5 to
12, $3.30 for children ages 13 to 18 and $4.40 for adults. Towel rentals were a nickel and soap for a
before and/or after swim was one penny.
That first year the brand new swimming pool was
staffed by six people. Wallace
Zimmermann was pool manager; Jack Zimmerman and Margaret Derleth were bathhouse
attendants; and George Draeger, William Kuerschner and Ray Vogler were
lifeguards.
The actual dedication program on July 5, 1942,
was a big one. It started at 3 o'clock
and featured the Lake Shore Club of Chicago which put on quite a show. A total of 14 girls and six boys performed in
the program.
Speaking at the dedication were Mayor Walter
Nack, E. G. Hubb, president of the board of park commissioners; city attorney
H. W. Hartwig and Podolske.
WPA
It had to have been an incredible day for the
citizens of Watertown. The country was in the midst of World War II and money
was tight everywhere, but somehow, with the help of the WPA, the pool became a
reality. The WPA was a federal program
that got unemployed and underemployed people back to work, making municipal
projects come to fruition.
In addition to the pool, the WPA was
responsible for all of the wonderful stone and cement terraces along the east
side of the pool which were used as kind of bleachers, the similar terracing
around the ball diamonds, the walls along the Rock River in Riverside Park and
the small creek that winds its way along the river.
1950’s
Swimming
pool 1950s
1958
06 06 With the 1958 swimming season at the Riverside
Park pool due to begin this week, making it the 16th year of operation for the
pool, everything was in readiness today for the opening at 1:30 p.m.
tomorrow. The Riverside Park swimming
pool, which someone has called the best recreational investment the people of
Watertown ever made, was dedicated on July 5, 1942. It was constructed during the years 1940 and
1941. It grew out of a city referendum
in which the voters of the city voiced their approval of the plan. Actually, the pool had been completed in the
fall of 1941 and during that winter and the following spring the bath house was
constructed and the filtration equipment placed in the basement of the
building. WDT
2007
Watertown
Aquatic Center
(2007)
The family-oriented facility offers a 220-foot water slide, a 24-foot drop
slide, a one-meter springboard, two animal water slides for preschoolers, a
mushroom waterfall, several floor fountains and a large zero depth area. In
addition, the facility also features a playground area, a sand volleyball
court, a concession stand, spacious deck space, a large grass area and ample
parking. Coin-operated lockers and a large bathhouse are also available.
This wonderful addition to the city's park and
recreation programs, has received a tremendous amount of use since it was built
to replace the aging municipal pool at the same location.
With the water slides, the zero depth pool and
the many other amenities, this center is a far cry from the pool it replaced. Many take this spectacular aquatic center for
granted, but it came about through a major fund-raising effort and a
cooperative financial deal with the city. The private sector raised $600,000 and city
government added $1.2 million for the $1.8 million total cost.
Cross References:
Derived
in part from Watertown
Daily Times article, 06 02 2007
