Buster Crabbe, who plays Tarzan in the cinema, advances to the top of the 3m springboard and launches into the swimming pool of the Verdun Natatorium to the great joy of the 2000 spectators.
It is July 12, 1940 and all the political elite, including Montreal Mayor Edward Wilson, are witnessing the Hollywood star’s first dive into Canada’s largest outdoor swimming pool.
Many admirers obtain an autograph from his hand. He signs Tarzan “even if Cheetah is not at his side” notes Bill Hillman, creator of a book dedicated to the author of the Ape Man series, Edgar Rice Burroughs. Crabbe would often return to the Verdun swimming pool in the following years, “not only to train, but also to sell Victory Bonds in support of Canada’s war effort,” the columnist continued.
“We must not forget that this art-deco style swimming pool was inaugurated in the middle of the war. Its construction is part of the employment recovery plan following the great economic crisis,” says Dinu Bumbaru, director of policies at Héritage Montréal.
International events
Age has ravaged the concrete structure of the building, to the point where the City of Montreal is now considering demolishing this art deco gem. Since this announcement appeared in the media, a wave of protest has swept through social networks and a citizen mobilization is trying to overturn the decision of elected officials.
Located at 6500 boulevard Lasalle, the Natatorium is made up of a bathers’ pavilion which opens onto the diving and swimming pools. It is of sufficient size to host international competitions, which did not take long since the Dominion Swimming and Diving Championships were held there in 1940, bringing together athletes from all over the Commonwealth.
The buildings were classified by the City of Montreal in 2019 even though flaws in the structure led to the closure of the site in 2017 while awaiting a restoration budget.
In its heritage interest, the city mentions that this swimming pool has always been very popular with the public. “The place is heavily frequented in the summer by residents of Verdun and the outlying districts (it welcomes an average of 65,000 bathers annually),” we can read.
BAnQ – Public domain
Rare building
Mr. Bumbaru relates that buildings of this type are rather rare on the island of Montreal. “It is part of a series of outdoor swimming pools built in New York in 1936 in working-class neighborhoods for hygiene reasons. We wanted to offer public baths to city dwellers who did not have sanitary facilities in their homes,” he recalls.
In Verdun, people got into the habit of going to the beach during the hot summer days, but the water at that time was very polluted. The Natatorium will be extremely popular once it opens.
Even if the die is not cast, Dinu Bumbaru fears that this building will disappear under the demolitionists’ peak and that all that will be found will be a commemorative plaque recalling the glory days of Canada’s first large public swimming pool.
“I believe we can find a solution like we did for the Verdun Auditorium, located nearby and which still hosts major events today after coming close to demolition,” he says.
