Fleishhacker, Delia, Memorial Building - San Francisco, CA - U.S. National Register of Historic Places on Waymarking.com

The Fleishhacker Building was once the bath house for the world’s largest heated salt-water pool. Fleishhacker Pool was a gift to San Francisco by financier and city Parks Commissioner Herbert Fleishhacker.

Excerpted from the San Francisco City Guides Newsletter:

The pool measured 1000 feet in length by 160 feet across at the middle section and 100 feet across at each end. The depth graduated from 3 feet at the west end to 15 feet under the diving platform. It held 6,500,000 gallons of filtered seawater pumped in from the Pacific Ocean and could heat 2800 gallons a minute from 60 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

View of the pool in 1925, bordered by Ocean Beach
Historic photo courtesy of SF History Center, SF Public Library

The Fleishhacker Municipal Swimming Pool opened on April 22, 1925, as host to a national A.A.U. Swim Meet with five thousand attending the event to watch the competition. Johnny Weissmuller, the world champion freestyle swimmer, represented the Illinois Athletic Club. He later went on to a career in action films--Tarzan being his most notable role. Weissmuller made a number of later appearances at Fleishhacker, always drawing a crowd. San Francisco adopted him as one of their own. Other celebrities appearing often at Fleishhacker Pool included Ann Curtis, who set a number of world records, and movie star Esther Williams. She first appeared in Billy Rose’s Aquacade opposite Weissmuller in the 1940 Golden Gate International Exposition at Treasure Island.

The pool opened to the general public on May 1, 1925. The pool failed to pay its own way. Ocean Beach was rarely much warmer than 70 degrees, even if the water was 72 degrees, which everyone doubted. After the novelty wore off, attendance fell, with the exception of special events. Plans were drawn and redrawn to scale down the size of the pool to save heating and overhead costs.

Under-funded, Fleishhacker Pool slowly slid into a state of mild disrepair. A January 1971 storm proved to be the final blow. The outflow pipe that disposed of the used pool water collapsed, and the cost of repair exceeded the department’s ability to pay. An attempt to convert it to fresh water proved futile due to uncontrollable algae growth, and the pool closed forever in June of that year. The concrete was broken out and the hole filled with rubble and topsoil. The city granted the land to the San Francisco Zoo. Today the area occupied by the swimming pool is the paved parking lot for the San Francisco Zoo.

A personal remembrance and history of Fleishhacker Pool can be found online.

Street address: Zoo Road and Sloat Boulevard San Francisco, CA USA County / Borough / Parish: San Francisco Year listed: 1979 Historic (Areas of) Significance: Event, Architecture/Engineering Periods of significance: 1925-1949 Historic function: Recreation And Culture Current function: Commerce/Trade, Recreation And Culture Privately owned?: no Primary Web Site: [Web Link] Secondary Website 1: [Web Link] Season start / Season finish: Not listed Hours of operation: Not listed Secondary Website 2: Not listed National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed

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