The Engman Public Natatorium was a public swimming pool that operated in

South Bend, Indiana South Bend is a city in and the county seat of St. Joseph County, Indiana, on the St. Joseph River near its southernmost bend, from which it derives its name. As of the 2020 census, the city had a total of 103,453 residents and is the fourt ...

between 1922 and 1978. Sources describe it as being the largest indoor swimming pool in the state of

Indiana Indiana () is a U.S. state in the Midwestern United States. It is the 38th-largest by area and the 17th-most populous of the 50 States. Its capital and largest city is Indianapolis. Indiana was admitted to the United States as the 19th s ...

when it first opened in 1922. The pool has a history of racial exclusion, barring African Americans completely between 1922 and 1936, then segregating against them (by day) between 1936 and 1950. In 2010, after sitting vacant since 1978, the building re-opened as the home of the

Indiana University South Bend Indiana University South Bend (IU South Bend) is a public university in South Bend, Indiana. It is the third largest and northernmost campus of Indiana University. History Indiana University began offering classes in South Bend in 1922 as an ...

Civil Rights Heritage Center The Civil Rights Heritage Center (CRHC) is an institution established by Indiana University South Bend as a result of student interest and faculty support as a center for the study and documentation of local civil rights history. Through community ...

. As of 2016, the Center continues to operate out of the building. They offer tours and share the history of segregation and civil rights in South Bend, as well as the experiences of the African American, Latinx, and LGBTQ communities in the city.

References

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