TA24-J F-Pages - Flipbook - Page 69
PHOTOS (LEFT: GPA.I-047-MB-111) (RIGHT: GPA.I-047-MB112) COURTESY TYRRELL
HISTORICAL LIBRARY
The Alice Keith Park Swimming Pool was one of three Bintz pools constructed in Beaumont during the interwar years. The distinctive rounded shape of Bintz pools encouraged
leisure and socialization, increasing the role of pools as community centers.
swimming pools became a place for social interaction and community bonding.
Gender segregation at public pools ended as American culture transitioned to
promoting family values and community sociability. However, gender desegregation led to a rise in racial segregation at public pools; preventing contact
between Black men and white women in the intimate setting of a swimming
pool became essential in the eyes of many local lawmakers. Thus, as the community-building function of the swimming pool grew, the community itself
became more exclusive as middle- and upper-class whites closed ranks.
Swimming pool construction boomed in the interwar years, leading to
a period of architectural experimentation. City engineer Wesley Bintz left
his job in 1923 to specialize in swimming pool design. His unique style of
above-ground pool featured changing areas located underneath the pool
deck itself, reducing the amount of land needed for construction. These pools
were cheaper to build and required less excavation than typical below-ground
designs, which made them popular across the nation. The most distinctive
characteristic of Bintz pools was their rounded shape, which promoted leisure
and socialization rather than exercise, increasing the opportunity for pools to
serve as community centers. The city of Beaumont at one point had three
Wesley Bintz swimming pools, all constructed during the golden age of pool
design. Sadly, the Alice Keith Park Swimming Pool — the last Bintz pool in
Beaumont — was demolished in 2002 due to lack of funding and increasing
decay.
Swimming pools became the cornerstone of a cultural identity focused on
socialization, keeping communities linked at a time when urbanization and
industrialization were driving people apart. Fighting against the rising tide of
consumerism that began in the 1920s, swimming pools were one of the only
places where consumption was not a necessary part of public activity. Attempts
to commercialize pools were largely unsuccessful, so most swimming locations
remained public rather than for pro昀椀t. By removing the expectation to spend
money while participating in the local community, pools facilitated the formation of a shared community identity without the in昀氀uence of advertisements,
media, or consumer envy.
During the Great Depression, hundreds of new pools were built every year
with the help of federal aid. Pool construction carried out by the Works Progress
Administration and the Civil Works Administration provided much-needed jobs
but also brought joy to countless communities during this time of hardship.
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