The Michigan Union stands today as a vibrant hub for students seeking a place to relax, grab a snack, or meet friends. Yet, less than a century ago, the same venue offered an entirely different attraction: an indoor swimming pool where students could practice their strokes. This unexpected transformation highlights a fascinating chapter in the building’s history.
The basement of the Michigan Union, now home to a Barnes & Noble bookstore, was originally the site of this pool. Created by the architectural team Pond and Pond, the Union opened its doors in 1919 featuring a billiards room, barber shop, and numerous dining halls, but a lack of resources pushed the pool’s completion to late 1925. It was formally dedicated on January 15, 1926, coinciding with a victorious swim meet against the University of Wisconsin.
For forty years, the pool was a venue for swim meets and water polo matches, but access was primarily restricted to male students. Women could only enter the pool with a male companion or during special events, as the Union itself was a male-only facility until 1968. Interestingly, this policy persisted even after the pool was closed in 1966 due to high maintenance costs and declining usage.
Following the closure, the pool area was repurposed for administrative offices, and eventually, it became a bookstore. The remnants of its aquatic past linger in unexpected ways; for instance, the South Lounge features a carpet whose border mimics the outline of the old pool balcony.
Even decades after the pool’s closure, its memory occasionally caught visitors off-guard. In 1998, Bob Foreman, a former Alumni Association Director, recounted to The Michigan Daily that people sometimes wandered into his office, located over the old diving board, mistakenly searching for the pool with towels in hand.
