Located near the San Francisco Zoo at the intersection of Sloat Boulevard and the Great Highway in the southwest corner of San Francisco, California, Fleishhacker Pool was a well-known public saltwater swimming pool complex.
It was one of the biggest outdoor swimming pools in the world when it opened in 1925, and it remained that way for more than 40 years until it closed in 1971. Regretfully, the pool was destroyed in 2000, marking the end of its existence.
About Fleishhacker Pool
The Fleishhacker Playfield and Pool complex was built in 1924 by civic leader and philanthropist Herbert Fleishhacker, and it was formally inaugurated on April 22, 1925. At 1,000 feet by 150 feet, the pool could accommodate up to 10,000 swimmers and contained an amazing 6,500,000 US gallons of seawater.
This aquatic wonder was one of the largest heated outdoor pools in the world (theoretically) and the largest swimming pool in the United States when it opened.
The Fleishhacker Pool was a monument to opulence and leisure, equipped with a 50-foot-square diving pool with a 14-foot depth and a two-tiered diving tower. The pool was so big that lifeguards had to use rowboats to patrol its waters, and the military used it for drills and exercises because of its size.
In its prime, the pool was more than just a recreational facility; it was a multipurpose environment that left an unforgettable stamp on the San Francisco landscape.
How the saltwater pool functioned
The water for the Fleishhacker Pool was obtained from the Pacific Ocean, which was only 650 feet away. This system sent seawater to the pool for heating and filtering through an intricate web of pumps and pipes that ran during high tide.
The pool's heater, which could heat 2,800 US gallons per minute, was designed to keep the water at a constant 72 degrees Fahrenheit for AAU swim meets. But realities frequently caused variations, usually between 65 and 75 degrees, which was a bracing temperature for most swimmers.
The Mother's Building, also known as the Delia Fleishhacker Memorial Building, was constructed next to the children's wading pool to give mothers and their small children a special place to relax. The wading pool that had been there was removed in 1940 to make room for a children's zoo, which opened in 1960.
Deterioration had been visible in the Fleishhacker Pool for years due to years of underfunding and negligence. A storm in January 1971 made matters worse by breaking the drainage line in the pool.
Fresh water was added to the pool due to minimal usage and repair expenditures that were too high for the city to afford. Regrettably, this change resulted in decreasing water quality, which forced the pool to close by the end of 1971.
Abandoned and destroyed
The San Francisco Zoological Society officially became the new owner of the pool house in 1999. Then the water was filled in with gravel and boulders and used as a zoo parking lot.
The pool house was abandoned for a long time and ended up serving as a sanctuary for animals and, regrettably, homeless people. This condition of neglect continued until December 1, 2012, when a fire destroyed it.
Three elaborate entrances, remnants of the pool house's illustrious past, remain as a sad memory even if the remnants of the ruins were eventually cleaned away.
The Mother's Building, located inside the San Francisco Zoo and Gardens, is the only remaining building from the Fleishhacker Pool complex.
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