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Changing Face of Southern California

Municipal Bathing Pool, Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California

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Municipal Bathing Pool, Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California

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Identifier	clloy_109
Title	Municipal Bathing Pool, Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California
Creator	Unknown
Date Published	circa 1927
Subject (Topic)	Swimming pools--California--Los Angeles; Parks--California--Los Angeles;
Subject (Place)	Griffith Park (Los Angeles, Calif.);
Type	image
Form/Genre	Postcards
Physical Description	1 postcard : Color ; 9 x 14 cm.
Institution	Department of Archives and Special Collections, William H. Hannon Library, Loyola Marymount University
Country of Creation	US
Copyright Status	public domain
Copyright Statement	http://library.lmu.edu/generalinformation/departments/digitallibraryprogram/copyrightandreproductionpolicy/
Publisher	Western Publishing & Novelty Co.
Place of Publication	Los Angeles, Calif.
Language	eng
Description	Swimming pool surrounded by three Spanish-style buildings: a two-story bath house, and two field houses. A chain-link fence separates the pool from the surrounding areas. At left, onlookers observe swimmers and divers. The Verdugo Mountains are visible in the background.
Historical Background	In 1896 Colonel Griffith Jenkins Griffith (1850-1919) donated 3,015 acres of his land (formerly Rancho Los Felis) to the City of Los Angeles to be known as Griffith Park and used for public recreation for the "plain people." In keeping with this mandate, the City of Los Angeles Charter of 1925 provided increased funding to the Playground and Recreation Commission for a 20-acre playground at the southeastern corner of the park near Los Feliz Blvd. and Riverside Dr. The area included tennis, basketball and volleyball courts, baseball fields, horseshoe pits, and a large children's playground. One extremely popular facility was the Municipal Plunge, a 50'x 225' bathing pool that opened with great fanfare on August 13, 1927, at a cost of $80,000. In addition to swimming, other activities included water polo, lifesaving classes, canoeing and, for many years, an "Enchanted Pool" pageant. During World War II the pool hours were extended for war-time workers to swim in the evening. In 1942, the 125th infantry occupied the playground, using the pool for training, and showering in the Bath House. Women lifeguards were employed for the first time there in 1943. In 1968, forty years after it opened, the Municipal Plunge closed permanently.
Publisher's Identifier	Publisher's serial number: 123316; Series number: 12
Source	Werner von Boltenstern Postcard Collection