The swimming pool at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

, the official residence of the

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

, is located on the

South Lawn The South Lawn at the White House in Washington, D.C., is directly south of the house and is bordered on the east by East Executive Drive and the Treasury Building, on the west by West Executive Drive and the Old Executive Office Building, and ...

near the

West Wing The West Wing of the White House houses the offices of the president of the United States. The West Wing contains the Oval Office, the Cabinet Room, the Situation Room, and the Roosevelt Room. The West Wing's four floors contain offices for ...

History and description

The wide and long pool was created in 1975 by

Gerald Ford Gerald Rudolph Ford Jr. ( ; born Leslie Lynch King Jr.; July 14, 1913December 26, 2006) was an American politician who served as the 38th president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. He was the only president never to have been elected ...

during his presidency. Before becoming president, Ford swam twice daily at his home in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city (United States), independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of Downto ...

; early in the morning and after work in the evening. Ford regretted the White House no longer had a swimming pool and he did not find playing

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standardized playing area, and coping wi ...

as satisfying for exercise as swimming. ''

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'' reported that the pool was built "over strong opposition from his ord'sadvisers" as Ford had stressed budgetary restraint upon taking office in 1974. Aides had reportedly warned Ford that the construction of a pool would ensure that he only lasted a year in the presidency, and should wait until after his potentially successful re-election in 1976. The area had previously been part of the

, with a natural screen of bushes and trees. Ford was a regular swimmer, and demonstrated his swimming for the press when the pool was completed. The photographer Dick Swanson of ''

People A person (plural, : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of pr ...

'' took a picture from the bottom of the pool of Ford swimming.In 1933, an indoor swimming pool had been built for President

Franklin D. Roosevelt Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...

for his physical therapy for

polio Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...

. The pool was covered over in 1970 when the space was remodeled as the Press Briefing Room. President_Ford_Surveying_the_Construction_Site_of_the_New_White_House_Swimming_Pool_-_NARA_-_12082683

President_Ford_Surveying_the_Construction_Site_of_the_New_White_House_Swimming_Pool_-_NARA_-_12082683

A cabana was later added to the pool, with showers and changing facilities, and an underground passage connects the cabana to the

for the purposes of security. The cabana is

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ed with heated pipes providing hot water with remaining heat going to the outdoor

spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...

. It was renovated in 2002 with the addition of extra windows and a raised roof. Ford's son, Jack, learned to scuba dive in the pool, and 39th President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he previously served as th ...

's daughter

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frequently dived in the pool.

Barbara Bush Barbara Pierce Bush (June 8, 1925 – April 17, 2018) was First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993, as the wife of President George H. W. Bush, and the founder of the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. She previously was ...

frequently swam in the pool; in 1990 a rat swam past her and was subsequently drowned by her husband, 41st President

George H. W. Bush George Herbert Walker BushSince around 2000, he has been usually called George H. W. Bush, Bush Senior, Bush 41 or Bush the Elder to distinguish him from his eldest son, George W. Bush, who served as the 43rd president from 2001 to 2009; pr ...

. Barbara Bush said that she " wamwith a mask, and it just went right by in front of me...Fortunately, George Bush was there and drowned the beast. It was horrible".

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, diplomat, and former lawyer who served as the 67th United States Secretary of State for President Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, as a United States sen ...

was also a frequent user of the pool. Clinton had considered recreating the indoor pool of the White House and creating a new space for the media. As part of the White House grounds, the pool and its cabana are the responsibility of the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an agency of the United States federal government within the U.S. Department of the Interior that manages all national parks, most national monuments, and other natural, historical, and recreational propertie ...

. In the first year of his presidency,

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

wrote that he would leave the

Oval Office The Oval Office is the formal working space of the President of the United States. Part of the Executive Office of the President of the United States, it is located in the West Wing of the White House, in Washington, D.C. The oval-shaped room ...

and "have a cigarette (or two)" by the cabana "savoring a quieter moment and letting my thoughts wander and deepen".

Cost

The cost of the pool was estimated at $52,417 (). It was entirely funded by private contributions, with donations limited to $1,000 (). A swimming pool committee oversaw the construction of the pool; it was chaired by the vice chairman of the United States Olympic swimming committee, A. J. Sehorn.

Gallery

File:President Ford swimming - NARA - 7141117 (cropped1).jpg,

swimming in the pool in July 1975 File:Photograph of Buddy the Dog Reaching for a Tennis Ball- 07-12-1998 (6461536137) (cropped).jpg,

Buddy Buddy may refer to: People *Buddy (nickname) *Buddy (rapper), real name Simmie Sims III (1993–Present) *Buddy Rogers (wrestler), ring name of American professional wrestler Herman Gustav Rohde, Jr. (1921–1992) *Buddy Boeheim (born 1999), Amer ...

reaching for a ball in the pool in 1998 File:Photograph of Susan Ford Assisting her Father, President Gerald R. Ford, as He Dives into the New White House Swimming Pool - NARA - 7140649.jpg,

Susan Ford Susan Elizabeth Ford Bales (born July 6, 1957) is an American author, photojournalist, and former chair of the board of the Betty Ford Center for alcohol and drug abuse. She is the daughter of Gerald Ford, the 38th president of the United States ...

helping her father dive into the new swimming pool

References

External links

Notes on the construction of the swimming pool from the Gerald Ford Library
{{coord, 38.89705, -77.03771, format=dms, type:landmark_region:US-DC, display=title 1975 establishments in Washington, D.C. Sports venues completed in 1975 Swimming venues in Washington, D.C. White House Grounds