Queen City Pool and Pool House facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Queen City Pool and Pool House
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Queen City Pool and Pool House, junction of Queen City Ave. and Jack Warner Parkway, Tuscaloosa, in 2014.
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 Location in Alabama
Location in the United States
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| Location | Queen City Avenue and Jack Warner Parkway Tuscaloosa, Alabama |
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| Area | 11 acres (4.5 ha) |
| Built | 1941 |
| Architect | Don Buel Schuyler |
| Architectural style | Art Moderne |
| NRHP reference No. | 92001088 |
| Added to NRHP | September 10, 1992 |
The Queen City Pool and Pool House is a special old building in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. It used to be a place where people could go swimming. This building and its pool are so important that they were added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 9, 1992. This means they are recognized for their unique design and history.
Contents
A Look Back: The Pool's History
Building the Pool During Tough Times
The Queen City Pool was designed by Don Buel Schuyler, who learned from the famous architect Frank Lloyd Wright. The pool opened in 1943 and was used until 1989. It was built during the Great Depression, a time when many people didn't have jobs. Projects like this pool were part of a government program called the Works Progress Administration. This program helped people find work and build useful things for their communities.
What the Pool Looked Like
The pool area included a bathhouse made of concrete. There was also a smaller wading pool for kids and a cool fountain designed in the Art Deco style.
A Time of Change: Desegregation
Back then, the city of Tuscaloosa built two public pools. The Queen City Pool was only for white people, while another pool, Gulf States Pool, was for Black people. This was a time of "segregation," meaning people were kept separate based on their race.
The Queen City Pool closed in 1966. This happened when new laws made segregation illegal, meaning everyone had to be allowed to use the same public places. In 2005, the old swimming pool was filled in with dirt.
From Pool to Ice Rink
For a few years, from 2012 to 2015, the spot where the pool used to be became a temporary ice rink. This was part of Tuscaloosa's "Holidays on the River" event during the Christmas season. Later, the ice rink moved to the Tuscaloosa Amphitheater.
The Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum
A New Purpose for the Bathhouse
In 2005, there was exciting news! The old bathhouse was going to be turned into a museum about transportation. The Alabama Department of Transportation gave the city a grant to make this happen. A grant is like a gift of money for a special project.
The project cost about $1.94 million, with the city paying about $260,000 of that amount. Two design companies, Eclectic Group, Inc. and Ward Scott Veron Architects, worked on making the old bathhouse new again.
Opening the Museum
On December 13, 2011, the newly renovated bathhouse officially opened its doors. It became the Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum.
The museum shows how transportation has changed in Tuscaloosa over time. You can learn about different ways people and goods have moved around the city throughout history.
