From the Archives: The Pool at Pomerene Hall

May 6

Did you ever see that episode of “Are You Afraid of The Dark?”

The one where the kids find an abandoned swimming pool beneath their school, get it restored, and then while swimming one evening are attacked by some ultra creepy pool monster that most definitely gave me nightmares?

If you happened to miss that piece of terrifying 90s television excellence, the episode was called “The Tale of the Dead Man’s Float” and I'm sure it can be viewed when purchased from any number of legitimate streaming platforms (or you can just watch it by clicking here).

- "Submitted for the approval of the Midnight Society."

Thankfully, I got over my fear of aquatic monsters and stumbling across abandoned pools beneath the places I went to school. I did find a few creepy swimming holes during some urban exploration adventures over the years, though. One of them was located in Pomerene Hall, an historic building on the campus of Ohio State University.

- Pomerene Hall some time ago.

The structure was born out of a campaign led by the University’s Women’s Council to construct a union facility dedicated to female students as the Ohio Union was utilized primarily in service to male students. What would become Pomerene Hall was constructed in two phases. Phase 1 featuring a gymnasium and social center was finished in 1919. Phase 2 featuring the indoor swimming pool, lounges, and dining hall opened in 1927. The building was named for Frank Pomerene, a graduate of the University and former Board of Trustees member.

In 1951, a new student union opened on campus that provided more equal access to both female and male students. Pomerene continued to host some women’s physical education courses, but the building became mostly relegated to office space in the decades that followed. Eventually, the pool and locker rooms were abandoned entirely. Some point after all that: I found myself there.

A friend, coworker, and OSU student at the time had told me about it. Visiting the decrepit natatorium was apparently a frequent pastime for curious students and the vast amounts of graffiti on the wall signed with dates predating our births proved as much. We paid a quick visit, made some photographs, and went on with our day (thankfully never encountering amphibious ghouls responsible for the death of the former lifeguard/current janitor's little brother). Pomerene Hall was heavily renovated around 2016-2018 and subsequently, the pool was demolished.

Previously, a more detailed version of the building’s story and these photographs appeared on QC/D.

Then they didn’t.

Maybe I’ll get into that tale one day. For now, though, I’ll just share these photographs from the archives. To the kids behind the “Pomerene Hall Swim Team” or whatever it was called: I hope things worked out for you.