Engman Public Natatorium
 | This article may contain excessive or inappropriate references to self-published sources. (August 2016) |
The Engman Public Natatorium was a public swimming pool that operated in South Bend, Indiana between 1922 and 1978.[1] Sources describe it as being the largest indoor swimming pool in the state of Indiana when it first opened in 1922. The facility was the city's first public indoor swimming pool, offering public swimming, swimming lessons, safety instructor training, water ballet, and water exhibitions. Notable performances by prominent swimmers like Gertrude Ederle, Johnny Weissmuller, and Sybil Bauer. Additionally, the pool is speculated to be one of the earliest documented uses of ultraviolet disinfection in public pools in the United States, representing a shift from traditional chemical treatments like chlorine. The pool has a history of racial exclusion, barring African Americans completely between 1922 and 1936, then segregating against them (by day) between 1936 and 1950.[2]
In 2010, after sitting vacant since 1978, the building re-opened as the home of the Indiana University South Bend Civil Rights Heritage Center. As of 2016, the Center continues to operate out of the building. They offer tours and share the history of segregation and civil rights in South Bend, as well as the experiences of the African American, Latinx, and LGBTQ communities in the city.[3]
References[edit]
- ^ "History of the Engman Public Natatorium". iusb.edu. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
- ^ O'Dell, Kathy (2010). Our Day: Race Relations and Public Accommodations in South Bend, Indiana. South Bend, Indiana: Wolfson Press. ISBN 978-0-9799532-7-9.
- ^ "About Us". iusb.edu. Retrieved August 27, 2016.
