Splash from the Previous: Louisville Native Remembers Crescent Hill Swimming Pool

When you consider Louisville Water, do you consider a swimming pool?

Maybe not, however again within the early 1900s, many Louisvillians did.

Next to the Crescent Hill Reservoir and Gatehouse, the place the coagulation basins are immediately, was Reservoir Park. Reservoir Park had grow to be a dumping floor for the mud discarded when the reservoir was constructed.

As Louisville Water invested extra money in its pumping stations and filtration plant, the park turned an afterthought.

That’s when Louisville Water President Sebastian Zorn determined to construct a large group swimming pool within the coronary heart of its water remedy facility. In July 1919, Crescent Hill Swimming Pool opened, turning into “one of the most attractive pleasure spots in Louisville.”

The early days

More than 500 individuals attended the opening ceremonies that included a band live performance and a speech by Lt. Gov. Edward J. McDermott, who remarked: “Life is not merely for work, business and wealth; it is also for health, refinement and innocent pleasure.”

The pool ranged in depth from three to 9 ft and held 1.2 million gallons of water. It was constructed to have a relentless circulate of water and cleaned twice a day to make sure the power was sanitary. Guests had been additionally required to hire bathing fits on the pool to make sure swimmers had been sporting clear swimwear earlier than coming into the pool. The pool rapidly turned a well-liked summertime attraction for a lot of younger individuals.

Fond recollections

One one that remembers spending a lot of his childhood on the Crescent Hill Pool is Albert “Buddy” Sattich, a Louisville native and former Crescent Hill resident.

“I had an awful lot of fond memories swimming at the original Crescent Hill pool,” Sattich stated. “It was just fabulous.”

Sattich stated he would arrive early with a pal and assist clear the pool’s skimmer to get in at no cost. Afterwards, he’d typically keep till 9 o’ clock, having fun with the massive pool and diving boards.

“Sometimes in the middle of the summer, we would get in around noon, and we would swim until nine o’clock at night,” Sattich stated. “And then we’d walk home, and of course, there were rings around all the streetlights because of the chlorine that was in your eyes. But we had a great time.”

Sattich remembers the snack bar promoting “penny” sweet, ice cream bars, and smooth drinks for round 5 cents. The males’s altering rooms had been open-air with picket benches and metallic wire baskets for storing garments. He recalled the ladies’s altering rooms being just a little extra elaborate and enclosed. Women wore white swimming caps and full bathing fits.

“And there were no bikinis,” Sattich joked.

Closing the pool

After greater than 30 summers of offering many completely happy recollections to younger individuals like Sattich, leaks fashioned within the pool’s backside.

By the early Fifties, it was deemed too expensive to restore and Louisville Water wanted the area to extend its manufacturing capabilities. The pool closed after the 1953 season, however not with out a public outcry to maintain this gathering spot from closing. The metropolis constructed three new open-air swimming pools: Crescent Hill, which is now often called Mary T. Meagher Aquatic Center; Algonquin Park; and Wyandotte Park.

The pool turned etched in his reminiscence as a logo of his youth within the neighborhood. So, when Louisville Water closed the pool, it was an enormous disappointment to Sattich.

“The new pool wasn’t anywhere close to this pool,” Sattich stated. “It was a good size pool, but it wasn’t anywhere close to (Crescent Hill Pool) whatsoever. It was a lot smaller, a lot smaller.”

Sattich lived within the Crescent Hill neighborhood for many of his life, rising up going to the Water Works together with his mom, working at close by native companies like Meisburg Drugstore, which is now Hillcrest Tavern, and enjoying in pipes owned by Louisville Water.

“We would play just due north of the big settling tank,” Sattich stated. “And the Louisville Water Company stored their excess pipes there. They had pipes about five feet in diameter. And we would play hide and seek.”

Creating a group gathering place

Though not a pool anymore, the Crescent Hill Reservoir and Gatehouse has continued to function a gathering place for the group. Walkers and runners benefit from the scenic loop. Photographers love capturing its architectural magnificence. And Louisville Water loves welcoming its clients for group occasions like “Walking Wednesdays.”

Louisville Water simply began a multi-year mission, the Reservoir Relining Project, to protect the reservoir and proceed serving the group for years to return.

Significant repairs had been made within the late Nineties and early 2000s, together with securing the grassy perimeter across the reservoir and putting in a heavy-duty liner. Now it’s time to exchange that liner.

You can comply with together with the progress and join e-mail updates at LouisvilleWater.com/ReservoirReliningProject/.