In the late 19th century, food was preserved with blocks of ice sawn from frozen ponds and stored in insulated buildings. As Boulder grew and matured, residents and merchants demanded a more dependable form of cold storage. The Hygienic Ice and Coal Company, located at the northeast corner of Pearl and 21st streets, opened in 1905 and produced blocks of ice for sale. The company also provided storage space within its building for grocers and butchers.
The ice plant ran machinery that required cooling with water. In the process, the water became hot. Even while the ice plant was under construction, its owners envisioned utilizing the hot water in an enclosed swimming pool. Yet, there was little discussion about a pool prior to 1922.
By then, the ice plant had purchased adjoining land fronting on Spruce Street. The construction of a pool and building — now just the Spruce Pool — was underway. Its opening was a win-win for both the ice plant that found a use for its byproduct and the people of Boulder who had a year-round place to swim.
When the 60-by-120-foot pool opened in 1923, a newspaper reporter noted that 180-degree water from the waste line of the ice plant was piped directly into the pool. There, he stated, the hot water “was mixed with [cold] water from the city mains in order to reduce the heat to the point desired.” The pool had a construction cost of $25,000 and was described as “one of the greatest needs of the city.”
Swimmers could bring their own suits, but “fine cotton bathing suits” were available for rent. The reporter added that “the suits for women are modest one-piece affairs with skirts that reach nearly to the knees.” Everyone was required to shower before entering the pool. Hours were weekdays from 9 a.m. to noon, with 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. devoted to swimming lessons. The pool then reopened to swimmers from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. Lifeguards were in constant attendance.
The pool structure included six skylights and a balcony for spectators. The balcony included a “refreshment room” and even space for dancing. The men’s and women’s locker rooms each had attendants, and the women’s room had electric hair dryers.
The pool wasn’t always open in the winter. For a few years beginning in 1948, a special floor was laid over the pool, turning the facility into a roller-skating rink. The floor was removed in the summer, and the pool reopened to swimmers. By then, it was leased by the City of Boulder and named the Municipal Pool of Boulder.
In 1958, a huge fire of unknown origin burned a section of the ice plant that contained 700 meat lockers. Most of the rest of the building was destroyed. Five firemen were injured and a sixth was hospitalized. At the time, the building was also used for “dry” storage by various entities. Ball Brothers Research lost machinery and equipment in the fire, while the Boulder Historical Society lost musical instruments and other artifacts.
The swimming pool building was not damaged during the ice plant fire. In 1962, Boulder voters passed a bond issue to build another pool in Boulder — the Scott Carpenter pool — and turn the then-called “Spruce Pool” into an outdoor facility. The enclosing building was dismantled the following year. Now, the pool’s future is uncertain.
Still, it’s fun to go back in time and see where residents swam decades ago.
