Fleishhacker Pool

Fleishhacker Pool, the largest swimming pool in the United States, was located next to the San Francisco Zoo for 47 years. It was built by philanthropist and civic leader Herbert Fleishhacker in 1924, and opened on April 23, 1925. The pool was 1,000 feet long and 150 feet wide, with a capacity of 6 million gallons and could accommodate 10,000 swimmers. The pool was unheated, and filled with salt water which was pumped into the pool at high tide through a pipeline from the nearby ocean.

The pool was so large that lifeguards used kayaks to patrol it, and it was used by the military for drills and exercises. It was used by famous swimmers including Ann Curtis and Johnny Weismuller.

There was also a diving pool measuring 50 feet square and 16 feet deep with a tiered diving tower.

The pool closed in 1971. After years of deterioration and a lack of modern operational systems, the pool could not meet modern health standards. Consideration was given to refurbishing and reopening this historic landmark, but studies showed that public usage was extremely low, the annual operating costs were high, and there was little revenue to offset these costs.

In 1999, the San Francisco Zoological Society was granted ownership of the Pool House. The building has been condemned.