Archives West Finding Aid

Benjamin Marcus Priteca designed this pool for C. D. Stimson to house a heated, saltwater pool as a public recreational facility for the citizens of Seattle. The facility, constructed in 1915, pumped in saltwater from Elliott Bay, heated the water in basement boiler tanks, and chlorinated it for public use. The building featured a neoclassical exterior with terracotta ornamentation of nautical motifs. The interior had a glass ceiling supported by arched steel trusses and tiered spectator seating for 1500. The pool closed in the late 1930s, though the building continued to be used for boxing matches, dances, and roller skating. When the evangelical outreach group Bethel Christian Ministries purchased the natatorium in 1944, they installed permanent flooring over the pool that provided the floor space needed to create a sanctuary for the Bethel Temple. Because it was owned by a religious group, the Seattle Landmarks Board did not have jurisdiction over the building, leaving the building vulnerable to development. The Bethel Temple sold the building to the Murray Franklyn development group and the Crystal Pool building was demolished in 2003 for development into a high-rise condominium tower; some exterior walls were retained along the street level and a modern entrance canopy was added in reference to the original corner dome.