By Luke Griffith, Staff Writer
Hidden inside the basement of historic Villa Maria Hall at Immaculata University lies the story of the forgotten indoor swimming pool. The original pool represents a key piece of the University’s history. The pool once served as a popular spot for the Sisters, students, and faculty members. While the old pool space is now used as a storage facility by the University, the memories of what once occupied the room will never die. Many students and faculty walk by this space every day and have no idea what history lies behind those walls.
A Pool from the Beginning
The pool was installed when Villa Maria Hall was constructed in 1914. As it was one of the key original features of Villa Maria Hall, the pool was not intended for competitive sports, but only for refreshment and leisure for everyone to enjoy, according to Dr. William Watson, professor of history. The pool offered students, Sisters, and faculty the perfect opportunity to cool off on a hot summer day, as well as providing bonding time with their peers. According to Dr. Jeffrey Rollison, executive director of Gabriele Library and longtime faculty member, the pool was a key part of campus life for many decades since Villa Maria Hall was the University’s only building for many years. It provided the perfect opportunity for students to escape from the academic pressures and take a swim. In addition to that, it was not common for an all-women’s college to have a pool. This was considered to be a significant luxury item back then.
Pool House Storage Room (where the pool once stood) in Villa Maria Hall’s Terrace Level (Photo Credit: Luke Griffith)
Since the pool was part of the original Villa Maria in Hall construction in 1914, it was not heated. Therefore, the water was infamously cold, which became a core memory of the pool’s legacy. Many Sisters, former students, and faculty members remember swimming in its cold water. People often referred to the pool as “The Roman Bath.” This nickname was tied to the pool due to its unique architecture, and it is an excellent description of the tiled space underneath Villa.
Not Just a Small Wading Pool
As mentioned before, the pool was not built for competition, but it was still more than just a shallow basin. While the exact depths of the shallow and deep ends are unknown, we know that the pool did, in fact, have a deeper end. Watson recounts that the pool had a deeper section with a diving board. In fact, even though the pool has now been filled with concrete, the base of the original diving board can still be seen today in the storage room on the edge of where the pool once stood. This piece of the pool’s past offers a reminder of the laughter and fun that took place in that room for many decades throughout the campus’s history.
Pool House Storage Room (where the swimming pool once stood) in Villa Maria Hall’s Terrace level (Photo Credit: Luke Griffith)
The pool remained in use until the early 1970s, when the University opened Alumnae Hall. The Alumnae Hall pool was much larger and could be used for competitive sports as it is used today. Not only that, but the pool is heated, which allows for a much more pleasant experience for swimmers. The Alumnae Hall pool was specifically designed for athletic programs, although students can swim when the swim teams are not present. Once the modern pool opened, the pool in the basement of Villa Maria Hall was closed. However, it wasn’t immediately removed. In fact, the original pool remained physically intact for nearly 40 more years.
Pool House Storage Room (where the swimming pool once stood) in Villa Maria Hall’s Terrace level (Photo Credit: Luke Griffith)
Pool House Storage
After the Villa pool was closed to swimmers, it found a second life as a storage facility for the Immaculata maintenance crew. According to Watson, the pool area was restructured but remained intact well into the 2000s. As the years continued to go by after its closing, it became a hidden curiosity and a room most students and faculty didn’t even know existed. Finally, around 2010, the empty pool was officially filled in with concrete. Even though the pool is no longer there, the outline around the pool is still visible today. The exact location of the pool is directly across from the Registrar’s Office in Terrace Rotunda of Villa Maria Hall. The area seems incredibly unsuspecting for most people who walk by. However, when the door is left open to the room, many signs of its unique past can be seen. These signs include the tile around the pool, the old base of the diving board, and the arches that ride parallel with where the pool once stood.
Remembering the Past
What makes the history of Immaculata’s original swimming pool so fascinating is not just that few people know about it, but that it connects to the University’s earliest days. It’s a reminder to us all that even though a historic space may be refinished, its history continues to live on. Thanks to the insights and recollections of faculty members like Watson and Rollison, as well as the memories of the Sisters who swam there, the pool’s legacy still lives on in photographs and stories. In a world that often quickly forgets its past, I think it’s important that we all take a moment and remember Immaculata’s original swimming pool in Villa Maria Hall.
