East Potomac Pool Sign
Description
East Potomac Park rests on an artificial peninsula created with dredge spoils from the Potomac River by the Corps of Engineers. The park opened to the public in 1912 and was largely developed in the 1920s.
A swimming pool had been contracted for in 1927 but never built. So, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) stepped up in 1935 to take on the project – which was begun in 1936, interrupted by the Potomac flood that year, and completed afterward.
The pool was located at the north end of the golf course and for three-quarters of a century it was a “favorite for all.” In 2018, the WPA pool was demolished to make way for a new pool – which was not yet complete in 2020.
Unfortunately, the Wikipedia entry on East Potomac Park makes no mention of the WPA’s contribution.
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East Potomac Pool demolition
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East Potomac Pool demolition
Source notes
“District of Columbia Inventory of Historic Sites” (Sept. 2009 ed., p.47)."East Potomac Pool," Washington, DC, Department of Parks and Recreation, https://dpr.dc.gov/page/east-potomac-pool, accessed April 24, 2019.
Project originally submitted by Brent McKee on June 9, 2012.
Additional contributions by Richard A Walker.
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