If you pull into the parking lot of the San Francisco Zoo, you might notice an ornate building facade that stands behind a barbed wire fence, seemingly out of place and without any historical explanation. That crumbling face and its decorative carvings were formerly part of the Fleishhacker Pool, a city landmark from 1924 to 2012. The gigantic pool was built by Bay Area local philanthropist and City Parks Commissioner Herbert Fleishhacker to accommodate 10,000 swimmers. The pool opened on April 23, 195 and was filled with 6.5 million gallons of saltwater pumped in from the nearby ocean at high tide. At 10,000 feet long and 150 feet wide, plus a separate tiered diving tower, it was the largest pool in the United States at the time. Local lifeguards used wooden rowboats to traverse the expanse because it was so large. It opened to much fanfare, with stars such as Johnny Weismuller, Esther Williams and Ann Curtis all swimming there. The water was heated, though it generally fluctuated between 65º and 75º — a chilly temperature for most swimmers. The pool was even used for aquatic drills by the military during war years. Unfortunately, strong storms in 1971 caused extensive damage that eventually led to the pool’s closure. Studies show that the public usage was extremely low, the annual operating costs were high, and there was little revenue to offset these costs. Refurbishing the pool was out of the question, so it was abandoned and left neglected for years. In 2012, a fire broke out, leaving only the facade you can see now. Today, the filled-in pool operates as a guest parking lot run by the San Francisco Zoological Society with oversight by San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. The city still owns the land.
The Largest Swimming Pool in America Was Once in San Francisco
If you pull into the parking lot of the San Francisco Zoo, you might notice an ornate building facade that stands behind a barbed wire fence, seemingly out of place and without any historical explanation. That crumbling face and its decorative carvings were formerly part of the Fleishhacker Pool, a city landmark from 1924 to 2012. The gigantic pool was built by Bay Area local philanthropist and City Parks Commissioner Herbert Fleishhacker to accommodate 10,000 swimmers. The pool opened on April 23, 195 and was filled with 6.5 million gallons of saltwater pumped in from the nearby ocean at high tide. At 10,000 feet long and 150 feet wide, plus a separate tiered diving tower, it was the largest pool in the United States at the time. Local lifeguards used wooden rowboats to traverse the expanse because it was so large. It opened to much fanfare, with stars such as Johnny Weismuller, Esther Williams and Ann Curtis all swimming there. The water was heated, though it generally fluctuated between 65º and 75º — a chilly temperature for most swimmers. The pool was even used for aquatic drills by the military during war years. Unfortunately, strong storms in 1971 caused extensive damage that eventually led to the pool’s closure. Studies show that the public usage was extremely low, the annual operating costs were high, and there was little revenue to offset these costs. Refurbishing the pool was out of the question, so it was abandoned and left neglected for years. In 2012, a fire broke out, leaving only the facade you can see now. Today, the filled-in pool operates as a guest parking lot run by the San Francisco Zoological Society with oversight by San Francisco Recreation and Park Department. The city still owns the land.