Alum Rock in San Jose in Santa Clara County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

The Natatorium

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, March 14, 2013

1. The Natatorium Marker

Inscription.
This area was once the site of one of Alum Rock Park’s most popular attractions, the Natatorium, a large indoor swimming pool. Built about 1912, it attracted over 35,000 swimmers each summer season. For about 20 cents, park visitors could swim in the heated waters of the 45-foot-wide and 90-foot-long pool. The pool also boasted a long, straight slide, a one-meter diving board, and three diving platforms for those who were looking for more excitement with their swim.

The Natatorium was a full-service recreation facility with a spectator’s gallery, swimsuit and towel rentals, and an in-house laundry to keep everything clean and sanitary. The building also contained 51 mineral baths. These individual, tiled rooms could be rented for a small fee. Park visitors could enjoy a peaceful soak in a tub of hot sulfur water piped in from the park’s natural mineral springs. For over 60 years, people came from all over the valley to play at Alum Rock Park and swim at the Natatorium.

The Natatorium was closed after the 1970 summer season. Time had taken its toll on the old facilities and the structure was no longer safe or sanitary. The Park Commissioners and the City Council decided to tear down the building during the mid-1970s. Today, swimmers have access to many different neighborhood pools during the hot summer months,

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but none will ever replace the old Alum Rock Park Natatorium.

Erected by San Jose Parks, Recreation and Neighborhood Services.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic list: Sports. A significant historical year for this entry is 1912.

Location. 37° 23.771′ N, 121° 48.178′ W. Marker is in San Jose, California, in Santa Clara County. It is in Alum Rock. It can be reached from Alum Rock Road, on the right when traveling east. This marker is located near the Maintenance Building,a short distance to the west of the Alum Rock Park Visitors Center. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 15270 Alum Rock Road, San Jose CA 95132, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in California’s San Francisco Bay Area,

in Silicon Valley,

and on the Coast Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Historic Alum Rock Park (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Welcome to Alum Rock Park (about 400 feet away); Alum Rock Log Cabin (about 400 feet away); Mineral Springs Grotto (approx. 0.3 miles away); The Flood of 1911 and Broad Gauge Rails (approx. 0.6 miles away); Steam Dummies & 25 Cents! (approx. 1.2 miles away); Electrification (approx. 1.3 miles away); Cesar E. Chavez (approx. 3.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in San Jose.

Additional commentary.
1. Drowning of a relative there

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, March 14, 2013

2. The Natatorium Marker

A brother of my grandmother evidently drowned at the Natatorium. Grandmother died many years ago, but talked of a younger brother who drowned there. This must have happened sometime in the early 1900’s. Maybe from 1910 to 1920.

His last name was Weinberg, but I don’t know his first name. He had lived in San Francisco on San Bruno Avenue and had recently immigrated here from the then Ukraine section of Russia. I would appreciate knowing more about his death, if anyone could help me. I’m not sure what his age would have been and I’m guessing he came with a group of Jewish children.

— Submitted July 7, 2023, by Andrew neustadt of Brisbane, California.

The Natatorium c. 1925 image. Click for more information.

Online Archive of California, 1925

3. The Natatorium c. 1925

San Joseans “Defy Death” at the Natatorium
Alum Rock Park History
New Neighborhood Voice website entry
Click for more information.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 21, 2023. It was originally submitted on March 17, 2013, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 2,799 times since then and 151 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on March 17, 2013, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. 3. submitted on October 31, 2020, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.