Swimming Year-Round in Alaska

The Anchorage Spa story.

What Are Your Memories of the Spa?

Here are some reader memories of the Spa

Eric remembers:

“Learned to swim there. Bussed over from Clark Junior High. How did we have the time to swim before we had to get back to class?”

Barbara had this to say:

“For two weeks, first thing in the morning, a bus load of us were taken to the Spa. It was great to have swimming lessons. I still really appreciate the building design with the wall of windows. But afterward, we had to get back on the bus in our damp clothes, coats, and wet hair.”

Joe shares this memory:

“I swam there. It was only a block from my house.”

Paige remembers the swim club:

“I was on a Swim Club there in 1970”

Marcia has this vivid memory:

“It was Heaven on earth! Our Youth Group used to go there, and I’ve never forgotten the wonder of it all.”

Kathi said this:

“Loved swimming there.”

The Spa’s Beginnings

Until March 1953, when the Spa first opened, if you wanted to swim in or around Anchorage, you had one choice. It had to be summer, and you had to swim in a lake. Or with your rubber ducky in the bathtub.

Then on March 31, 1952, a man named Edwin Suddock, a wholesale grocer, and his wife Mary, made a welcome announcement. They were going to build a private, indoor swimming pool in Anchorage.

The location for the pool was at 1720 F Street between West 16th and 17th Avenues. The location was just above what would later become the Valley of the Moon Park.

The initial cost estimate was $40,000 dollars. Today, that would be well over $400,000 dollars.

Charter Memberships

As a private pool, Spa memberships that allowed access for your immediate family were initially offered for 200 dollars, or around 2,000 dollars in today’s money.

In less than 2 hours, they sold 35 memberships. 2 months later, they had sold 200.

The Original Plan

A smaller initial pool concept of a 30 by 40 foot pool was updated to 30 by 60 feet. The addition of a children’s splash pool also increased the cost of memberships.

Yes, You can Share this Edition

You can share this edition of the Anchorage Memories Club with friends and family. Come to think of it, you could even share this with some folks you barely know. And they’ll love you for it.

And when you share this with someone, they will be so happy that they’ll bake you a batch of your favorite cookies… well, it could happen.

The March 1953 Grand Opening

Over 300 members enjoyed the new facility. The final cost came in at $95,000 dollars, or roughly $935,000 dollars in today’s money.

Everyone loved the south-facing wall of glass.

An aquatic ballet performer named Joyce Dillman was the Spa’s first lifeguard and swimming instructor.

Mary of the Anchorage Memories Club

“As a student at Central Junior High, I remember being bussed to the Spa in late fall.

I didn’t know how to swim, so I started with a group as a beginner. Other students were in the intermediate group.

When our swimming lessons were over, everyone else had advanced to the next level. Everyone but me and one other student. We started and left as beginners who never learned to swim.

At the end of each session I remember walking out into the crisp, cold air and getting back on the bus with my long, wet, steaming hair. Ugh!”

The Fort Richardson Field House

Interestingly, a swimming pool was also built on Fort Richardson for military personnel and their dependents about the same time as the Spa.

The West High School Pool

On June 19, 1972, a public indoor pool opened at West High School. At 42 by 75 feet, it was larger than the Spa’s pool and no membership was required.

The Spa’s Last Days

We can’t find any references to “the Spa” after 1977, so it’s not clear when the Spa closed its doors.

The structure around the pool was torn down in 1983.

Hal Manning, the new owner, built around the pool and called the new facility the “Country Club” or the “Club House”.

Mike of the Anchorage Memories Club Remembers:

“I remember driving by the Spa with my family when I was a boy. The big glass wall of windows looked very intriguing to me. And the shape of the building was very different from other Anchorage buildings.

While I was at Clark Junior High, I remember when we were told that we would be taken to the Spa by bus. There we would receive swimming lessons and that those of us who didn’t know how to swim would learn how.

Following our lessons, we had an open house where each of us made a solo dive into the pool and swam to the far side… When it was my turn, I didn’t dive very well and ended up doing a major “belly flop” in front of a room full of parents. Ouch!”

Anchorage Memories

You can enjoy a treasure chest, filled with memories of the Anchorage you love.

Take a look at Anchorage Memories.com and enjoy.

From Our North Stars (that’s you)

From our look at Nellie Brown, Anchorage Pioneer. She and her husband, Jack, lived near Green Lake for a time.

Jackie remembers Green Lake:

“Ah, Green Lake. I spent a lovely, sunny day there back in the 50s with my dear friend Cherie, whose dad was military. Beautiful setting and a really carefree afternoon. Thanks for the background info.”

Rozanne had a close connection with Nellie Brown:

“I love stories about her. I worked for her a couple of times while she was still living in her government hill home.”

Helen had this observation:

“I never realized that the earliest pioneers in Anchorage would have gotten their mail in Eagle River, on the Iditarod Trail, but of course, that makes perfect sense.”

Nellie Brown

Take a look at Nellie Brown, Anchorage Pioneer and enjoy.

Connect with Mike and Mary

After our look at the Spa Swimming Pool, is your hair dry yet?

The Spa Swimming Pool is a great memory for so many people who live, or used to live, in Anchorage.

What are your Spa Swimming Pool memories?

You can also reply to this email, or you can Contact Us right here.

Until Next Time

Mike and Mary

Anchorage Memories Club