Country United States Opened 1925 Demolished 2000 | Completed 1925 Town or city San Francisco Construction started 1924 | |
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Location Sloat Boulevard and Great Highway Architectural style Mediterranean Revival architecture Similar Playland, Sutro Heights Park, Sutro Baths, San Francisco Zoo, Seal Rocks | ||
Fleishhacker Pool was a public saltwater swimming pool located in the southwest corner of San Francisco, California, United States, next to the San Francisco Zoo at Sloat Boulevard and the Great Highway. Upon its completion in 1925, it was one of the largest heated outdoor swimming pools in the world and remained open for more than four decades until its closure in 1971. It was eventually demolished in 2000.
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Map of Fleishhacker Pool, San Francisco, CA 94132, USA
Construction
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 (25,000,000 L) of seawater, and accommodated 10,000 bathers. The pool was so large the lifeguards required rowboats 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.
The water was 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.
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.
In 1999, the San Francisco Zoological Society was granted ownership of the pool house. The swimming pool itself was filled with rocks and gravel, with the space now serving as a parking lot for the zoo. The poolhouse was derelict, neglected, and occupied by the homeless for many years until it was destroyed by a fire on December 1, 2012. The remaining ruins were demolished, and only a fragment consisting of three ornate entrances remains to mark the site.