Looking Aft Our Secret Subterranean Spa

By Past Com. James L. Ramsey

Every time a bowler sends a ball crashing into the pins at the Bowling Recreation Center, the sound of the collision carries underground to a deserted cavity once intended for a very different form of recreation.

The 94-year-old tile work and underwater light fixtures are still in place, as are the massive drains and plumbing needed to carry thousands of gallons of water in and out of the structure. Yes, you guessed it – a swimming pool.

In its day, when the clubhouse first opened in 1929, it was probably the largest indoor swimming facility in the Grosse Pointes, an aquatic extension of the Club’s grandiose plan to surpass every other private club in the country.

The pool room, now occupied by the bowling facility was intended to be a spa extraordinaire; a place to see and be seen. And to that end, a series of arched windows (which now form the display cases in the Heritage Gallery) would allow members to sit in the adjoining hallway, sip a cup of tea, and watch through the glass as children and friends frolicked in the water. At least, that was the plan.

Regrettably, the pool never opened for business. The chronicles are sketchy here, but it was apparently never filled with water and never entertained a single swimmer. For years, it was theorized that the closure was due to the urgent cost-cutting that was undertaken as construction costs on the new clubhouse began to mount and numerous amenities were given the axe, the indoor pool being one of the casualties. But since the pool was already completed, the money was already spent and the notion – if you’ll pardon the pun – doesn’t hold water. A sounder theory suggests that the reason was more legal than financial.

It seems that in and around the time of the Club’s grand opening, a drowning occurred in a pool at another Detroit-area club, resulting in a huge lawsuit. The issue of legal liability and perhaps projected maintenance costs may have been the true cause of its demise.

What we do know for certain is that the indoor pool sat idle through the Depression until it was decided to repurpose the space. In the meantime, Club swimmers had to content themselves with a dive in the lake until the first of three outdoor swimming pools was built in 1939.

In 1940, a humble four-lane bowling alley was constructed over the indoor pool site. Bowling in postwar America proved so popular that additional lanes were added, as were lockers, a bar, a bowling instructor, automatic pinsetters and electronic scoring equipment. From 1999 to 2018, the space underwent a series of renovations culminating in the Bowling Recreation Center. The growth of the sport was such that everyone soon forgot the ill-fated swimming pool that hides below the busy BRC this day.