CALL BOX: Springfield Pool made a splash for decades

[thelakelander]

Dear Call Box: Does anyone remember the Springfield swimming pool? I had so much fun there.

C.B., Jacksonville

Dear C.B.: The Springfield Pool holds nostalgic memories for generations of Jacksonville youngsters who recall its picturesque setting in a park with a Venetian-style promenade.

It was Jacksonville's first municipal pool, opening in 1922. A new pool, and the one remembered by today's residents, opened in 1939. Both versions were on Boulevard between Fifth and Sixth streets in Springfield Park.

Though it's been 57 years since it closed, it made such a splash that those who dipped their toes in its chlorinated waters still reminisce about it today. It's a popular topic on such Facebook sites as "If you grew up on the Northside of Jax, you remember when ..." and "Northside over 60 memories," drawing dozens and dozens of comments going back to at least 2011.

Commenters remember sunburns, a polio scare in the 1950s that temporarily closed the pool, its "cool" architecture and learning to dog paddle, float and swim. One woman recalled doing a flawless forward gainer that ended in a dive. She surfaced ecstatic — and topless.

The pool attracted swimmers from across North and East Jacksonville. Those who lived nearby walked. Some rode their bikes. Some were brought by parents. The swim team from Kirby-Smith Junior High School practiced there. Andrew Jackson High School swimmers also honed their skills, with at least one member swimming the length of the pool under water, taking a breath and doing the same on the return trip.

Full article: http://www.jacksonville.com/news/20180304/call-box-springfield-pool-made-splash-for-decades