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Sunlite Pool, the enormous blue gem of Cincinnati’s Coney Island amusement park, was built in 1925. An engineering marvel even today, this 3-million-gallon tank remains the world’s largest recirculating pool. But it won’t be for long if rapid community action doesn’t work.

I’ve never been there, but I feel compelled to write this urgent post!

On December 14, 2023, Cincinnati residents learned that their beloved pool would close after the last car left the parking lot in the early hours of New Year’s Day. The new owners, a subsidiary of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, plan on demolishing Sunlite Pool and Moonlite Gardens, Coney Island’s 1925 open air dance hall, to build a music and entertainment venue. 

To be crystal clear, I am a huge supporter of the arts; my family loves going to concerts and plays, and every year, we give and receive tickets as Christmas gifts. I’d be equally sad at the destruction of a historic theater or concert hall. 

Can Sunlite and Moonlite be saved? I certainly hope so. A challenge is location and jurisdiction. Moonlite Gardens is located within Cincinnati borders where local landmark designation, and therefore protection, is possible. Sunlite, however, is located in Anderson Township, which does not have those possibilities.

Supporters, including the Cincinnati Preservation Association and many concerned citizens, are putting up a valiant fight. Protests began immediately, both on the streets as well as online, with some pushing for boycotts of the CSO, which hasn’t seemed to make any friends with this business venture. And the arts needs friends! 

For some perspective, here’s why Sunlite should remain open. First of all, it has served many generations of Ohioans as well as tourists. Coney Island, which was named for New York’s amusement area, opened in 1886, beginning as a mere picnic area on the Ohio River. The pool was added 99 years ago, designed by W. J. Lynch of Bar Harbor. (The decision to close it so close to its centennial feels like an extra kick in the swim trunks.) 

What else contributes to Sunlite’s historical significance and interest? 

This pool became a battleground in the Civil Rights Movement. In 1952, Marion Spencer, an African-American mother of two boys who so very much wanted to swim, was denied entrance to the park based on race. She refused to give up the idea of swimming at Sunlite and instead joined civil rights groups, leading the charge for change at Coney Island. Her dogged determination paid off in 1955, when the park, including the pool, was ordered to desegregate.

FIN FACT: Walt Disney also showed interest in Coney Island. In 1953, he and his brother Roy visited the amusement park and dined at the club above Moonlite Gardens. Why? They were scoping out ideas for Disneyland, which was still in the planning stages. Impressed by Coney Island’s cleanliness and lovely landscaping, they hired the owner, Edward Schott, as a consultant, and the Schott family were guests at Disneyland’s opening day on July 17, 1955.

Furthermore, pools of this size are rarities, and this one, a rounded rectangle, reminds me of a track with flattened ends, and it is almost as large. At 400 feet by 200 feet, it is 400 yards in circumference. A football field could float with space to spare! How cool is that? Lap swimming lanes stand out, stretching from the 10-foot deep end toward the center, and I’d certainly spend loads of time in them, but I’d certainly love swimming all the way around the basin. The deep end also contains the world’s largest floating obstacle course, and the shallow areas slope up to 6 inches deep, allowing opportunities for swimmers of all abilities. The lifeguards, I hear, are plentiful and excellent, receiving frequent training beyond their certification, in managing emergencies in this enormous body of water. 

Speaking of lifeguards, Cathy McMahon, who has guarded Sunlite Pool since 1980, captured the essence of the closure protests in her emotional appeal to save this special pool in an interview with a local news outlet: “Coney, in itself, it’s magic. It was the magic. It’s your happy place – you go down and the world is right.” 

Who dey! Fight on, Cincinnati! Save Sunlite Pool! Moonlite Gardens too.

You can help! Sign the petitions to save Sunlite Pool! 
https://www.change.org/p/preserve-sunlite-pool-and-coney-island-a-cincinnati-
summer-staple
https://www.change.org/p/stop-cement-fill-in-turn-coney-island-s-pool-into-a-historical-landmark

For more cool images of this amazing pool:
https://local12.com/news/local/coney-island-rally-honk-save-protest-gathering-park-sunlite-pool-moonlite-gardens-advocates-community-support-preservation-association-petition-cincinnati-symphony-orchestra-music-event-management-cso-memi-sale-music-venue-anderson-township-ohio

References:

https://abc6onyourside.com/news/local/coney-island-sunlite-pool-moonlite-gardens-historical-landmarks-designation-destruction-demolition-cincinnati-preservation-association-nonprofit-organization-changeorg-petition-15k-signature-goal-reached-tops-cso-memi-music-venue-ohio
https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/cincinnati-preservation-association-denounces-sale-of-coney-island-sunlite-pool
https://local12.com/news/local/coney-island-cincinnati-history-disneyland-riverbend-music-water-park-rides-museum-center-disney-land-amusement-park-closing-closure-civil-rights-cincinnati-ohio
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2015/07/08/locals-hand-making-disneyland-reality/29874015/
https://local12.com/news/local/thousands-sign-petition-demanding-coney-islands-sunlite-pool-preserved-historic-history-landmark-swimming-community-anderson-township-cincinnati-symphony-orchesta-music-venue-petitions-iconic-recirculating-gallons-water-kids-fun-entertainment-park-label
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2017/04/14/marian-spencers-journey-96-years-still-inspires/100426872/
https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/it-was-the-magic-former-coney-island-lifeguard-swim-instructor-looks-back-on-44-summers