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North Texas summers are notoriously hot, and trips to the pool are a season staple. To find an escape from the heat, Dallas residents did not have to look any farther than their community swimming pools.
The city currently operates nine pools but just a few decades ago, it had as many as 16. For folks of all ages, the community pool was a place to meet with friends, learn to swim and lounge with family under the sun. The memories made were irreplaceable and bring back a time when life’s biggest worries were to remember to apply sunscreen and be home before dark.
The Dallas Morning News recalls some of the places that made a splash during long summer days.
Lake Cliff
Established: 1921
Location: Oak Cliff
Originally owned by C.A. Mangold and associates, the 44-acre private park in north Oak Cliff had a dizzying array of attractions such as a casino, bowling alley and pool. But it was not a success and was sold to the city in 1914 for $55,000 ($1.4 million today).
In 1921, the newest municipal bathing pool opened. Within its first year of operation, “a total of 30,000 persons [patronized] the pool.”
At Lake Cliff pool, it was all hands on deck to maintain the beauty of the community swimming area. “Somewhat in the manner of Tom Sawyer and his fence whitewashing, the Lake Cliff swimming pool was given a scrubbing,” The Dallas Morning News reported on Aug. 7, 1940. The pool was regularly drained and cleaned every three to four weeks and each helper walked away with “a free pass to the pool between scrubbings” and “given lemonade at rest periods.”
That same year, an aquacade arrived at Lake Cliff pool, where for the first time, “the department’s recreation program [staff presented] a water pageant.”
By 1945 after 24 years in operation, Lake Cliff “pooled-in” over $100,000 in net profit ($1.4 million today). The News reported that an estimated 75% of Dallas swimmers visited Lake Cliff pool at least once in 1949.
The pool closed in 1959. One neighborhood’s loss also became a treasure when the city approved another pool to be built in its place: Kidd Springs. The lake and remainder of Lake Cliff park are still open to the public.
Kidd Springs
Established: 1959
Neighborhood: Oak Cliff
The Kidd Springs of the past would hardly be recognizable today. The area known as Kidd Springs Park was originally a private amusement park that emerged from the Gilded Age.
The 29-acre tract was unique because its pool came from a natural lake on the land. In 1947, the City of Dallas purchased the park for $125,000 (just under $1.5 million today). Shortly after, the city restricted swimming and removed the bathhouses, “ancient” high-diving towers and other aquatic accessories.
However, the park was not completely dry. Throughout the 1950s, the city would host the Kids’ Fishing Rodeo and stocked what remained of the lake with “bass, bluegills, catfish and crappie from the Fair Park lagoon.”
In 1959, Kidd Springs Park received a much-needed facelift and had a state-of-the-art pool built. For generations of Oak Cliffians, Kidd Springs was the go-to swimming spot in the neighborhood. Summer moments would be filled with swimming lessons and even Starlight Band concerts at the park.
Kidd Springs pool received a $4.5 million makeover a few years ago and is currently known as the Kidd Springs Aquatic Center. It is expected to open for summer 2021.
Fair Park
Established: 1926
Location: Fair Park
It might come as a surprise for younger North Texans to learn that there was once a swimming pool at Fair Park. In 1926, the city approved a $60,500 contract ($900,000 today) to build a pool in the southeastern corner of Fair Park.
The Fair Park pool was of the latest design and described as an above-ground type, “100 x 150 feet in size and [contained] 400,000 gallons of water.” More than 600 people attended opening day in June 1926.
About five years after opening, the pool would run into a stream of trouble due to costly repairs and was almost permanently shut down. After several more years of openings and closings, the pool received its much-needed repairs in 1938.
Afterward, some residents wanted to spread the aquatic blessings. “Fair Park swimming pool may be turned into a River Jordan for a day,” The News reported in August 1938 as local church members proposed to borrow the pool for baptismal purposes. In total, 110 people were baptized at Fair Park pool.
Dallas’ investment to repair Fair Park pool finally paid off in 1942, when for the first time in its history, the pool made a profit. Crowds gathered on opening days and the pool at long last emerged as an aquatic sleeper hit.
But in 1959, the pool closed because of high maintenance costs and declining attendance.
Highland Park
Established: 1924
Neighborhood: Highland Park
The Park Cities also had their splash of fun in North Texas, beginning with the Highland Park municipal pool, which opened in May 1924.
More than 200 people gathered in Davis Park for the formal opening and the first swimmers took the inaugural dip. Residents used their pool and the surrounding park to host community events, such as a Fourth of July celebration in 1927.
The 1932 season ended with a water carnival. Some of the activities included a “Red Cross life-saving and artificial respiration demonstration, a night-gown relay and canoe boxing.”
Each May brought “snappy bathing suits, water polo, fancy diving, sun bathing and blistered backs” as the pool’s opening ushered in the start of the summer.
A new swimming pool was built during the mid-1950s and remains on the original site. The current Highland Park pool is expected to open for summer 2021.
University Park
Established: 1931
Neighborhood: University Park
In 1931, University Park began to scout locations for its own municipal pool. The perfect site was discovered near Lovers Lane, and after spending $16,000 ($281,000 today), the city opened the pool to the public that August.
The aquatic celebrations included a water carnival in September 1931 that had “a swimming meet, diving contest and demonstration of life-saving” along with appearances from water stars.
Before the 1934 season, swimwear fashion made some waves. The City Council of University Park ruled that “none of these new-fangled, knee-action, shirtless bathing suits will be allowed at their swimming pool.”
That would not stop water enthusiasts from coming to enjoy their time under the sun.
More than a decade ago, University Park pool was renamed Holmes Aquatic Center. It is expected to open for summer 2021.
Tietze Park
Established: 1947
Neighborhood: Lakewood Heights
East Dallasites can stroll to Tietze Park at Skillman Street and Llano Avenue to take a splash during hot summer days. With a price tag of $40,000 (just under $500,000 today), Tietze pool opened in 1947.
It didn’t take long before Tietze became an East Dallas mainstay. A “swim fiesta” in 1949, children who took free swimming lessons “[demonstrated] their prowess” to their parents. The News reported that “included on the program [was] a grand march of the participants … pole tug of war … balloon race … diving” and more.
Years later, Tietze offered a master class for advanced swimmers. Two experts on synchronized swimming conducted two classes at Tietze pool in 1951, much to the chagrin of locals. That year, over 48,000 visitors came to the East Dallas pool for the summer season.
Tietze pool offered other opportunities for children. The News reported in June 1956 how 6-year-old Leslie Bond, who was blind, learned to swim at the facility in a summer program powered by volunteers and sponsored by the Dallas Services for Blind Children.
The pool was renovated and reopened in 2019 as the Tietze Aquatic Center. It is expected to open for summer 2021.
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