Former wading pool turned biomorphic at Mitchell Park. Photo found at The Cultural Landscape Foundation.
Planned communities in the west often included community centers and pools. A necessity of my childhood, I remember swimming at the Warm Springs Cabana Club in Fremont, California. Then after a move to Palo Alto and meeting new friends, we would enjoy meeting at Rinconada. I have vague memories of also swimming...rather wading because of its shallowness...at the Mitchell Park wading pool, designed by well-known landscape architect, Robert Royston. The 1957 design reflects Mid Century modern aesthetics, similar to Thomas Church's 1948 Donnell pool.
For most of my childhood, the wading pool was dark, dirty, and bone dry. Thankfully, the pool has been transformed by Dillingham Associates as a low liability biomorphic water feature. Translation: jets of water squirt onto a nonslip, walkable surface where kids and adults can get wet without fear of drowning. The reuse as a modern water feature retains Royston's original design, so I can still visit it and remember the park of my youth.
For most of my childhood, the wading pool was dark, dirty, and bone dry. Thankfully, the pool has been transformed by Dillingham Associates as a low liability biomorphic water feature. Translation: jets of water squirt onto a nonslip, walkable surface where kids and adults can get wet without fear of drowning. The reuse as a modern water feature retains Royston's original design, so I can still visit it and remember the park of my youth.
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