School is coming to a close, and the collective cheer you’re hearing from kids across the F-M area signals both the beginning of summer and the opening of the public pool season. Related: Most area pools set to open next week For many kids, that means cannonballs into the Island Park Pool in downtown Fargo. A peek back into The Forum’s archives reveals a little bit about the history of pools in the park and some curious remnants of yesteryear, namely the wall on the pool's north side and the large concrete seating area south of the pool. That wall dates back to the building’s first incarnation as a winter sports arena. It was built in 1937 through the Works Progress Administration (WPA), part of the federal government’s response to the Great Depression, and was used to host a variety of winter sports events and was intended to host other events year round.
Despite the big dreams surrounding the facility as a hub of activity, the arena was a bust. “It is too big, it is unsightly and has proved so difficult to operate and maintain that it is something of a community ‘white elephant,” late Forum columnist Andrea Halgrimson wrote in 2005, citing a September 1944 issue of The Forum. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1754106","attributes":{"alt":"","class":"media-image","height":"654","title":"","width":"911"}}]] The arena was dismantled and portions of it were moved to Hector Airport to construct a new airplane hangar during World War II, but that distinctive north wall was left intact. Another, smaller arena (again, an ice rink) was built incorporating that same wall, but that too was demolished about 20 years later. The wall again was left where it stands today, adding a dash of history to the splashes and squeals of summer fun. A pool has been part of Island Park since 1940. The structure pictured, still in place today near the tennis courts, housed a changing facility and seating by the pool, which came about after a successful push for a bonding bill and used about $32,000 in WPA funds. The pool was later moved to its current location, next to that curious wall from 1938.School is coming to a close, and the collective cheer you’re hearing from kids across the F-M area signals both the beginning of summer and the opening of the public pool season. Related: Most area pools set to open next week For many kids, that means cannonballs into the Island Park Pool in downtown Fargo. A peek back into The Forum’s archives reveals a little bit about the history of pools in the park and some curious remnants of yesteryear, namely the wall on the pool's north side and the large concrete seating area south of the pool. That wall dates back to the building’s first incarnation as a winter sports arena. It was built in 1937 through the Works Progress Administration (WPA), part of the federal government’s response to the Great Depression, and was used to host a variety of winter sports events and was intended to host other events year round. [[{"type":"media","view_mode":"media_original","fid":"1754242","attributes":{"alt":"Fargo Sports Arena in 1937. Forum file photo via NDSU Institute for Regional Studies.","class":"media-image","height":"318","title":"","width":"561"}}]] Despite the big dreams surrounding the facility as a hub of activity, the arena was a bust. “It is too big, it is unsightly and has proved so difficult to operate and maintain that it is something of a community ‘white elephant,” late Forum columnist Andrea Halgrimson wrote in 2005, citing a September 1944 issue of The Forum.
The arena was dismantled and portions of it were moved to Hector Airport to construct a new airplane hangar during World War II, but that distinctive north wall was left intact. Another, smaller arena (again, an ice rink) was built incorporating that same wall, but that too was demolished about 20 years later. The wall again was left where it stands today, adding a dash of history to the splashes and squeals of summer fun. A pool has been part of Island Park since 1940. The structure pictured, still in place today near the tennis courts, housed a changing facility and seating by the pool, which came about after a successful push for a bonding bill and used about $32,000 in WPA funds. The pool was later moved to its current location, next to that curious wall from 1938.
