Kids diving off rock hill at the Venetian Pool tourist attraction in Coral Gables, Florida

Venetian Pool is a historic

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

public In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichkei ...

swimming pool A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable Human swimming, swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built ...

located in Coral Gables,

Florida Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...

. Completed in 1924, it was designed by

Phineas Paist Phineas P. Paist (August 28, 1873 – May 2, 1937) was an American architect who was the supervising architect for the Coral Gables Corporation. Paist was an architect working for S. Gifford Slocum at age 20. In 1893 he became an associate of ...

with

Denman Fink Denman Fink (1880–1956) was an American artist and magazine illustrator. Works He worked with Phineas P. Paist and Walter De Garmo on the Douglas Entrance (1924) in Coral Gables, Florida, a property listed on the National Register of His ...

History

Venetian Pool, opened in 1924 as "Venetian Casino," was created from a old coral rock

quarry A quarry is a type of open-pit mine in which dimension stone, rock, construction aggregate, riprap, sand, gravel, or slate is excavated from the ground. The operation of quarries is regulated in some jurisdictions to reduce their envi ...

, abandoned in 1921. The pool was founded by George Merrick as part of the development of Coral Gables, which was created in

Mediterranean Revival Mediterranean Revival is an architectural style introduced in the United States, Canada, and certain other countries in the 19th century. It incorporated references from Spanish Renaissance, Spanish Colonial, Italian Renaissance, French Colonia ...

style and utilized a large amount of coral for ornamental features of the community. The remaining quarry was reconfigured by architect Phineas Paist and designed by artist Denman Fink. Named for the Mediterranean city of

Venice, Italy Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The islan ...

, the pool included a Venetian style bridge and classic mooring posts. Venetian Pool has gone through several phases. A large additional island was created to allow Venetian-style

gondola The gondola (, ; vec, góndoła ) is a traditional, flat-bottomed Venetian rowing boat, well suited to the conditions of the Venetian lagoon. It is typically propelled by a gondolier, who uses a rowing oar, which is not fastened to the hull ...

s to dock alongside, though the gondolas were later removed. A

high diving High diving is the act of diving into water from relatively great heights. High diving can be performed as an adventure sport (as with cliff diving), as a performance stunt (as with many records attempts), or competitively during sporting even ...

platform was constructed above the grand waterfall and was also later torn down. Early in its history, the pool was regularly drained completely to permit the Miami Symphony to perform in it, taking advantage of the quarry's natural acoustic qualities. In 2001, to celebrate the 75th anniversary of Coral Gables, the pool was once again drained for an orchestral performance. A 1989 renovation restored many of the pool's original features. In 1981, Venetian Pool was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

, and is the only pool listed on the register.

Description

The pool occupies a shallow quarry displacing some of fresh

water Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as a ...

daily from

artesian well An artesian aquifer is a confined aquifer containing groundwater under positive pressure. An artesian aquifer has trapped water, surrounded by layers of impermeable rock or clay, which apply positive pressure to the water contained within th ...

s, making it the largest freshwater pool in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

. The pool ranges in depth from four feet to depths of over eight feet near the grand

waterfall A waterfall is a point in a river or stream where water flows over a vertical drop or a series of steep drops. Waterfalls also occur where meltwater drops over the edge of a tabular iceberg or ice shelf. Waterfalls can be formed in several wa ...

, with a two-foot kiddy pool near the lifeguard station; the station is atop a bridge leading out to an island with two full size palm trees on it. A

grotto A grotto is a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high ti ...

, where natural water-filled caves stretch back over twelve feet into the hillside, is located across the pool from the island. There is a sandy sunning area for sunbathers and a

café A coffeehouse, coffee shop, or café is an establishment that primarily serves coffee of various types, notably espresso, latte, and cappuccino. Some coffeehouses may serve cold drinks, such as iced coffee and iced tea, as well as other non-ca ...

area that is commonly used for weddings and receptions. A walking path surrounds the whole complex. The pool received a massive historical restoration in 1989. The pool had another major renovation (and was closed to the public) between September 8, 2008 and April 30, 2009.

Sustainability

The pool has come under criticism from

environmentalists An environmentalist is a person who is concerned with and/or advocates for the protection of the environment. An environmentalist can be considered a supporter of the goals of the environmental movement, "a political and ethical movement that se ...

due to the massive amounts of fresh water it uses daily, raising concerns that the process of completely draining the pool every night and refilling it the following day was depleting the Floridian

aquifer An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing, permeable rock, rock fractures, or unconsolidated materials (gravel, sand, or silt). Groundwater from aquifers can be extracted using a water well. Aquifers vary greatly in their characterist ...

s. In 1998 a solution was devised to drain the water back into the aquifer, using natural ground filtration, thus recycling the precious natural resource, while allowing the pool to maintain its fresh, clear water.

Hours of Operation

The Venetian Pools operate from Tuesday to Sunday from February 1, 2022, to March 19, 2022. Guests can attend the pool from the hours of 10 a.m to 4:30 p.m during these dates. The Venetian Pool's operation dates and times change frequently. From March 21 to May 29 of 2022, the pools hours of operation are 11 a.m to 4:30 p.m Tuesday through Friday. On Saturday and Sunday, the Venetian Pool is open from 10 a.m to 4:30 p.m. From May 30 to August 14 of 2022, the pool is open Monday through Friday from 11 a.m to 6:30 p.m and 10 a.m to 4:30 p.m for Saturdays and Sundays. From September 6 to October 23 of 2022 the Venetian Pool will be open from Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m to 5:30 p.m. Lastly, From October 25 to November 27 of 2022, the Venetian Pool is open from 10 a.m to 4:30 p.m Tuesday through Sunday. The Venetian Pool is closed on certain holidays, which include: New Year’s Day, Martin Luther King Day, President’s Day, Thanksgiving Day, Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day.

Admission

Admission varies, depending on whether or not the guest is a Coral Gables resident. For residents 13 years and older, admissions prices are $6.50. Any children ranging from ages 3 to 13 have an admissions price of $5.50. Non-residential children must pay $16 and adults $21 for admission. At the venue, lawn chairs and life jackets are readily available.

Gallery

Venetian Pool 02.jpg, Entrance gate Venetian Pool 20.jpg, Entrance building with greenery Venetian Pool 03.jpg, View of pool through railings Venetian Pool 09.jpg, Mooring post and waterfall Venetian Pool 10.jpg, View of pool through entrance building Venetian Pool 19.jpg, Mooring post, island and pool Venetian Pool 17.jpg, Main buildings with pool and island Venetian Pool 18.jpg, Island with bridge Venetian Pool 16.jpg, Waterfall and pool Venetian Pool 04.jpg, Main building and greenery Venetian Pool 06.jpg, Fountain and hanging ceiling lamp Venetian Pool 05.jpg, Fountain in main building Venetian Pool 12.jpg, Interior gallery of main building Venetian Pool 01.jpg, Trellis gallery Venetian Pool 13.jpg, Door leading to water fountain in main building Venetian Pool 08.jpg, Landscaped path around pool Venetian Pool 07.jpg, Shrubbery, trees and pool Venetian Pool 11.jpg, Waterfall and main building Venetian Pool 15.jpg, General view of buildings and pool

References

External links

The Official Coral Gables Venetian Pool WebsiteAerial color image of Venetian Pool
{{Coral Gables, Florida Buildings and structures in Coral Gables, Florida Swimming venues in the United States History of Miami-Dade County, Florida National Register of Historic Places in Miami-Dade County, Florida Tourist attractions in Miami-Dade County, Florida Sports venues on the National Register of Historic Places in Florida 1924 establishments in Florida