Queen City Pool and Pool House

Queen City Pool and Pool House

Queen City Pool and Pool House, Junction of Queen City Ave. and Riverside Dr. Tuscaloosa
Location Queen City Avenue and Jack Warner Parkway
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Coordinates 33°12′53″N 87°33′48″W / 33.21472°N 87.56333°W / 33.21472; -87.56333Coordinates: 33°12′53″N 87°33′48″W / 33.21472°N 87.56333°W / 33.21472; -87.56333
Area 11 acres (4.5 ha)
Built 1941[1]
Architect Don Buel Schuyler
Architectural style Art Moderne
NRHP Reference # 92001088[2]
Added to NRHP September 10, 1992

The Queen City Pool and Pool House, also known as the Queen City Pool, is a historic bathhouse and swimming pool located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States. The bathhouse and pool were added to the National Register of Historic Places on September 9, 1992, due to their architectural and historical significance.[2]

History

Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright's apprentice Don Buel Schuyler, the Queen City Pool served the citizens of Tuscaloosa from 1943 through it closure in 1989.[1] It was constructed as a Civil Works Administration/Works Project Administration relief project of the Great Depression.[3] The site features a poured concrete bathhouse, a wading pool and an art deco fountain.[4] The city of Tuscaloosa constructed 2 public pools in an era of strict segregation, Gulf States Pool and Queen City, with Queen City being the 'white' pool. The pool closed in 1966 when desegregation was mandated.[5] The former swimming pool was filled in with dirt in June 2005.[6] In May 2005, it was announced that the bathhouse would be converted into a transportation museum. This became possible after the Alabama Department of Transportation awarded the city a grant to convert the facility into a museum illustrating the history of transportation in Tuscaloosa. The financing for the project came from a $1.94 million federal award that required a 20 percent match by the city, or $260,000.[7] The renovation was designed by the Eclectic Group, Inc. of Huntsville and Ward Scott Veron Architects of Tuscaloosa.[7]

Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum

On December 13, 2011, the renovated bath house was officially opened as the Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum.[8] The museum's exhibits trace the city's history through the development of its transportation structures.[9][10]

References

  1. 1 2 Taylor, Stephanie (December 21, 2005). "Bathhouse dives into the past". The Tuscaloosa News.
  2. 1 2 National Park Service (2010-07-09). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
  3. ↑ Brown, David J. "Statewide Preservation Organizations and NHPA" (PDF).
  4. ↑ Dawkins, Amanda (June 23, 2003). "Historic pool's role in new riverfront still up in the air". The Tuscaloosa News.
  5. ↑ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1817&dat=19690516&id=Ow0dAAAAIBAJ&sjid=BpwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7326,3498228&hl=en
  6. ↑ Calloway, LeMont (June 21, 2005). "Renovation of Queen City Park is poised to begin". The Tuscaloosa News.
  7. 1 2 Cobb, Mark Hughes (April 27, 2009). "Transportation museum project in motion". The Tuscaloosa News.
  8. ↑ Pow, Chris (December 13, 2011). "Officials dedicate Tuscaloosa's Transportation Museum". al.com.
  9. ↑ "Transportation Museum opens its doors". Tuscaloosa News. December 13, 2011. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
  10. ↑ "The Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum". Kelton Design. Retrieved 19 June 2015.
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