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Established in 1982, Blue World Pools installs, designs, and maintains above ground pools—the Econoline, Midline, and Classic. Follow the boards at http://pinterest.com/blueworldpools to view photos of each line.

REPOST: Pool Built for the People, 6,200 at a Time

Public pools are go-to facilities for residents of towns and cities. They never seem big enough for swimming populations. Astoria Park in New York City attempts to appease pool goers by building a complex of pools that can fit thousands of them at a time. This New York Times article takes readers through the giant facility.

Image source: New York Times

Mention Robert Moses and many New Yorkers will complain that the city’s master builder privileged cars and drivers over pedestrians. But Moses, the parks commissioner in the Depression era, was also wild about swimming, and you do not have to travel to Jones Beach to benefit from his enthusiasm. Through his efforts, 11 pools opened in the city in the summer of 1936, and the largest survives in an immense oval complex (original capacity: 6,200) in Astoria Park.

THE PARK’S 59.9 ACRES of rolling lawns and woods stretch along the western shore of Queens and offer views of the East River, Manhattan and Randalls Island framed by two of the city’s great bridges. The land was once the site of estates built for grand New York families like the Barclays, who sold their house here as Manhattan became the more fashionable address.

THE BARCLAY MANSION was torn down in 1914 to make way for the steel-arched Hell Gate Bridge and its square, turret-like towers. The bridge carries trains over some of the most treacherous waters around Manhattan. Two infamous shipwrecks occurred here: the British frigate Hussar went aground in 1780, her silver and gold sinking to the bottom; and on June 15, 1904, more than 1,000 German-Americans on a Lutheran Church outing died when the General Slocum, a paddle boat, caught fire. Decayed cork flotation devices were no help to passengers who tried to swim ashore.

TO THE SOUTH, the Robert F. Kennedy Bridge (previously the Triborough), designed by Othmar H. Ammann and Aymar Embury II, the consulting architect on many of Moses’ projects, connects Queens with Manhattan and the Bronx. Construction began, inauspiciously, on the day in 1929 when the stock market crashed. Financing problems delayed its opening until July 11, 1936.

THE BRIDGE IS an awesome feat of engineering, but walking near its entrance ramps is no fun. Scruffy open spaces like Chappetto Park, formed from property originally acquired for the bridge project, do little to cheer up the streets. In summer, tiger lily beds and the occasional grape arbor in front of the neighborhood’s low-rise houses are welcome glimpses of nature.

ASTORIA PARK MAKES THE TREK worthwhile. The renovated pool and play center display pristine Art Moderne details. The bathhouse walls are brick, with strong vertical lines. Glass blocks allow for both natural light and privacy. The aluminum signs for the changing rooms are in a stylish 1930s typeface. Though there are trees all around, unusual pavilions, like the bases of upturned wine glasses, provide shade near the concession stand.

THE DIVING PLATFORMS built for Olympic trials still stand, but the diving pool below them has been drained and there are plans to make it a site for outdoor performances. Vast viewing terraces and concrete bleachers already make Astoria Pool into something of a stage. Here you can admire the scope of Moses’ ambitions, and watch the city’s populace frolic in cool water.

A summer dip in hotel or public pools may be a fun and inexpensive alternative to visiting a beach out of town, but nothing can beat the comfort of having a pool at home. Blue World Pools offers a range of above-ground pool sizes and prices. Read more about their services on this blog.