Community
Beloved community pool, the Richmond Plunge, celebrated a big milestone on Saturday, drawing a crowd of local dignitaries and well-wishers for a spectacular ribbon-cutting birthday bash.
Richmond's Mayor Eduardo Martinez, County Supervisor John Gioia, and Councilmember Cesar Zepeda presided over the ribbon-cutting and dedication ceremony for the 100-year-old pool located at 1 East Richmond Avenue, which not long ago narrowly escaped demolition.
Aside from the dedication, the festivities included in-water demonstrations, historical displays, and refreshments.
The Plunge, also known as the Municipal Natatorium, began its life as a bathhouse filled with water from a local well mixed with salty water from the Bay. A warm-water indoor pool with design elements that nodded to San Francisco's famed Sutro Baths, the building also included balconies for those wishing to observe rather than swim and a fountain in the shallow end of the pool.
Opening at a time when Richmond's population was just a scant 20,000 residents, the Plunge has been a community favorite for generations – a place local kids, parents, and grandparents could all point to as the place they had all learned to swim.
Photos/ Ed Shelden Jr.
Damaged in the 1989 earthquake and already in need of substantial additional repairs, the Plunge was closed in 2001 and was on the path to demolition until the non-profit group Richmond Friends of Recreation stepped in and started the "Save the Richmond Plunge Trust," raising necessary funds for reconstruction, which began in August 2008.
With renovations complete, the pool reopened in 2010 with a few modifications. Gone was the brave-kid favorite high dive board, a safety move made necessary due to the pool's change in depth from 14 to 7 feet as part of the reconstruction. Also removed was the mushroom-esque sculpture that lived in the shallow end of the pool that many Richmond kids will remember.
Today, the Plunge offers recreational swimming opportunities for all ages, along with lap swimming and a variety of water fitness classes. For more information and the current schedule, visit:
https://www.ci.richmond.ca.us/2140/Richmond-Plunge
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