West Seattle’s Colman Pool wants to dive into your memories

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We took that photo back on sunny July 4th, the day Colman Pool celebrated its 70th anniversary on the Lincoln Park waterfront. That wasn’t the end of the anniversary festivities, explains senior guard Anne Barnes – they’re hoping you have memories to share:

We have had a great time out here, and look forward to the last few weeks of the season.

This is our 70th anniversary year (as you have reported). In addition to the party we held on the Fourth of July, we are also putting together a memory book for the pool. There are tons of great memories out there; we’d like to collect as many of them as we can! Swimmers can ask for a page to write on at the front desk of the pool, or they can e-mail memories to me (I will print them out and paste them in the book).

The pool is open every day until Labor Day (Sept. 5) and also the following weekend (Sept. 10 and 11).

Anne’s e-mail address is anne.barnes@seattle.gov.

Pam August 22, 2011 (10:20 pm)

They should post something on facebook page, “I lived in West Seattle before it was cool”, lots of people sharing memories on that site.

Ronald G. McCarthy August 23, 2011 (4:12 pm)

I spent the summer of 1953 working in the men’s locker and clothes storage room at Coleman Pool. A few years earlier my Dad worked the boiler room and laundry at the Alki Natatorium until he died in 1948. His boss (was it Ben Evans?) hired me for the job at Coleman when I applied for a life guard position too late that year to take the physical tests.

Mr. Sears was the pool caretaker at the time and I understand that one of his son’s took the job after him. I have many wonderful memories of that job. It was my first full time job and I believe it paid $1.20/hr. It was more money than I’d ever seen as a teenager. Coleman is a wonderful facility, a true gem for West Seattle.

Johnny Be Good August 23, 2011 (11:53 pm)

We play water polo here and it is a gem!

I only wish this was open more (year round with a bubble or just earier/later in the year on the weekends?) and improved (more like a aquatic destination) in the coming years.

365Stairs August 24, 2011 (10:25 am)

At the north end, over the wall nearest low dive board…there used to be a tree that could be climbed…you fill in the rest but the statute of limitations is well passed ;)

We were 14 and used to be the 1st ones in daily in the summer and got to be test rescues…man it was cool to get “saved” by the lady lifeguards…

My kids went there for the first time this summer…”I can really float daddy!” Awesome it hasn’t changed much! Thanks Colman Pool for great memories!