The Natatorium, designed by John C. Paulsen, and finished in 1892 was an exotic vision of Moorish towers and arches enclosing a massive interior space with 80-foot trusses and a 125-foot geothermal-heated pool. There were rooms for all occasions, including a wooden dance floor that expanded across the pool. An amusement park with rollercoaster, the White City, stretched behind the building. To get there, one rode the Boise Rapid Transit out Warm Springs Ave. to the end of the line, where Adams Elementary School now stands. A windstorm in 1932 damaged the building and led to its demolition. A much less substantial Natatorium now stands behind the school.
Image credits:
Left, Idaho State Historical Society: 73-2.52; Right, copyright Shawn
Records 1999.