Saved: Richmond Plunge, Richmond, CA.

The Richmond Plunge.  Photo found at Gogobot.

Two years ago this month, the Richmond Plunge once again opened to the public in search of the joyful pleasures of swimming.  Located within Pt. Richmond's Municipal Natatorium (a word not often used today), the site is located within Pt. Richmond's Historic District.  The public pool originally opened in 1926 to accommodate the community's growth in response to nearby rail and refinery success.  As The Berkeley Daily Planet reported, the renovation would ultimately cost $7.5 million, including grants and private gifts.  

Lost: Public Pools, San Francisco, CA.

Sutro Baths, San Francisco.  Photo found at the Cliff House Project  

Peter Hartlaub, public culture critic at the San Francisco Chronicle, just published a photographic slide show and commentary about San Francisco's historic and mostly lost public pools.  Unlike pools in planned suburban communities, urban public pools are constantly competing with redevelopment in high density places.  Older pools are also vulnerable due to outdated technologies in plumbing, but their renovation or repurposing is plausible with public support.