Berkeley resident Henrik Bull believes Berkeley could learn a lot from the process which led to the renovation and recent reopening of the Richmond Plunge in Point Richmond — in particular with regard to the plans for the Warm Pool at Berkeley High School’s Old Gymnasium. The City of Berkeley could learn a lot from its neighbor to the north. On Saturday, August 15, the rebuilt Richmond Plunge reopened to the public after nine years of cooperative efforts by the City and dedicated citizen groups. It is touted as being “the greenest and healthiest indoor swimming pool in America”. The Richmond Municipal Natatorium, its official name, is certainly a triumph of historic preservation. The interior is now one of the most dramatic spaces in the Bay Area. The original building was built in 1926, an era of civic pool construction all over the U.S. It had been badly damaged in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake and was finally closed in 2001 due to structural failure of its exterior walls. Originally it was considered to be too expensive to rehabilitate. Local citizens who had fond memories of swimming at the Plunge, formed the “Save the Richmond Plunge Trust” to investigate possibilities […]
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