Maplewood History: Summertime Nirvana with a Hint of Chlorine

By
Doug Houser
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6
124
From the St. Louis Globe Democrat, Aug. 1940 courtesy of the Maplewood Public Library.

The following text originally appeared on the Maplewood Patch website in 2012.

The Maplewood Pool Building at 7550 Lohmeyer was constructed from 1936 to 1938. It was renovated to house the Maplewood Library after the aging pool was replaced with a modern aquatic center and it was no longer needed as a bathhouse.

This beautiful building is an architectural companion to the High School next door. It is a stone Art Deco building constructed by the WPA. This is unusual according to the St. Louis County historian, Esley Hamilton. He says a building like this was more likely to have been built by the PWA (Public Works Administration) as was the High School.

The lower level originally housed the changing rooms and showers with men on the west and women on the east. The upper level once had a very interesting and unique feature. The windows on the southern side could be removed in the warm weather and the building could function as a pavilion. The stone fireplace that no doubt roasted many marshmallows is now the prominent feature of the library’s reading room.

Additionally the building is bracketed on both ends by gracefully curving stone staircases. The eastern one is absolute poetry in stone. On site, as well, is a stone backdrop that once arced around the kiddy pool and was like a headboard to the original pool. This architectural ensemble contains stonework of a very high order.
The dynamic duo of the High School and the Pool/Library building look magnificent when viewed from Historic Route 66. Be sure to visit the Maplewood Public Library to see firsthand this marvelous example of adaptive reuse.

From the St. Louis Globe Democrat, Aug. 1940 courtesy of the Maplewood Public Library.
From the St. Louis Globe Democrat, Aug. 1940, courtesy of the Maplewood Public Library.
From the St. Louis Globe Democrat, Aug. 1940, courtesy of the Maplewood Public Library.
From the St. Louis Globe Democrat, Aug. 1940, courtesy of the Maplewood Public Library.
Undated photo courtesy of longtime Maplewood Parks Department director, Tom Grellner.
Undated photo courtesy of longtime Maplewood Parks Department director, Tom Grellner.
The western end of the pool. The view is to the SE currently the site of the expanded aquatic center and the city hall. Courtesy of Tom Grellner
The western end of the pool. The view is to the SE currently the site of the expanded aquatic center and the city hall. Courtesy of Tom Grellner.
The pool staff, courtesy of Evelyn Callaway.
The pool staff. Courtesy of Evelyn Callaway.
I'll wrap this up with one of the best photos in our historic photo inventory. This is just a great photo taken by the well known Maplewood original, Elmer Wind Jr. For those young enough to not know what is happening, this bevy of poolside beauties are playing a battery operated radio. the battery is those days weighed about as much as the one in your car does now.
I’ll wrap this up with one of the best photos in our historic photo inventory. This is just a great photo taken by the well known Maplewood original, Elmer Wind Jr. For those young enough to not know what is happening, this bevy of poolside beauties are playing a battery operated radio. The battery is those days weighed about as much as the one in your car does now.

 

6 COMMENTS

  1. According to my father, my grandfather Walter Blood travelled to Washington DC with Mayor John Fels to secure the funding for the construction of the pool.

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