History

On the hottest day in 20 years, Edmonton welcomed the opening of a magnificent swimming pool in a south side park before a big crowd of supporters and well-wishers. It was a Wednesday evening on August 03, 1922. Such was the beginning of Edmonton's first swimming pool - a social and recreational landmark.

Edmonton was one of the few Canadian cities to possess swimming facilities at that time, which led to the city engineers department being continually besieged by inquiries from all over North America regarding details of construction and methods of financing. The City financed the pool construction at a cost of $18, 647.50, or about 19 cents per square foot. The new facility included four cottage-style buildings with dressing rooms, cubicles, lockers, showers and lavatories, along with the pool superintendent's house. One side of the pool deck was occupied by bleachers for spectators who wished to watch the action. Prices for costume rental was 25 cents for adults and 15 cents for juveniles with towel rentals being 5 cents. Single admissions were 25 cents for adults and 15 cents for juveniles of 15 and under.

This first municipal swimming pool was designed with public enjoyment, health, and safety in mind - particularly for children. You could say that this is still the goal of our outdoor swimming pools. Edmonton's City Engineer, A.W. Haddow, remarked on the situation in his 1927 correspondence:

These pools have become a very important part of Edmonton's summer recreation facilities and as a result the standard of swimming and diving which has been developed among the younger people is remarkable and in addition to this, the benefits of health and contentment in my opinion, far outweigh any small deficit. The construction of these Pools are undertaken primarily because the Saskatchewan River is unsuitable for bathing use and many lives have been lost in past years. This condition has been corrected by the Pools.

Edmonton's first outdoor pool was called the Riverside Swimming Pool up until 1939 when it was renamed the Queen Elizabeth Pool to commemorate the 1939 Royal Visit of King George VI and Queen Elizabeth. After the Second World War, the Queen Elizabeth Pool was extensively rebuilt in a modern design style in 1951. The 1951 pool was reconstructed on top of the pre-existing 1922 tank and a gas chlorination system was added to the mechanical room. It is still the current design of the pool today.

Despite the wear and tear of aging, the Queen Elizabeth Pool continues to draw thousands of swimmers and supporters from every ward of the city. It has a unique sense of location, beauty and history that should not be forgotten.

(Special thanks to Dr. Pearl Reichwein and Kerry Long for their articles in "the Strathcona Plaindealer" for the historical background for this page.)