A blog about living in Aberdeen, New Jersey.

Sunday, June 17, 2012

History: Cliffwood Beach Pool Constructed (1929)

The 14 Jun 1929 edition of The Matawan Journal announced the construction of the Cliffwood Beach pool. The article was chock full of superlatives, sounding more like an advertisement than a news story. I actually suspect the vendor wrote the piece as it was so poorly written.

Here's a sample. I removed some sections and truncated the piece after it launched into praises for its wonderful filtration system. Feel free to read the whole story at the above link. The story begins on the front page, far right column, and continues on page 10.


Cliffwood Beach Is To Have New Swimming Pool
Will Be Largest One on NJ Coast
COMPLETION EXPECTED BEFORE JULY 1st
In Its Construction All Pool Problems Have Been Solved by the Engineer, Wayne A Becker

The new Cliffwood Beach Pool is the most modern pool of its kind in the State of New Jersey. It also enjoys the distinction of being the largest salt water pool on the Jersey shore. Like all things - pools change; improvements are made. This pool is right up-to-the-minute. The Cliffwood Beach Company believes to build right, you must plan right -- about a year of time was required to investigate the ability of pool engineers to visit various pools and determine what was the very best. The outstanding man on pools in the country was found to be Wayne A Becker, Consulting Engineer of the Kring-Becker Engineering Co, Cincinnati, Ohio. At a recent meeting of the National Amusement Association, where the experience of the whole country is available. . . .

The new pool at Cliffwood Beach has been in the course of construction since last September, and should be finished in the latter part of June. Active construction has been underway constantly for this period of nine months when as many as fifty men at a time have been employed in its construction.

The pool proper will be 50 feet wide by 150 feet long with depths ranging from three feet to nine feet. The holding capacity, filled to the overflow gutters, will be 368,500 gallons of water, in other words over a third of a million gallons.

Along the side of the pool will be located five flood light poles of sufficient height to carry flood lights on an elevation 46 feet above the level of the water. Each pole will carry 2,000 watts of flood lighting . . .

This pool will be equipped with . . .  water cooled marine lights which will be set in the sidewalls of the pool and will provide for underwater illumination. It will be the most brilliant lighting effect of any pool yet constructed in this country. . . . 

6 comments:

  1. Do you know what year and why it closed? Jimmy

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  2. Hurricane Donna did a number on the bayshore in 1960.

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  3. yes Hurricane Donna destroyed it in 1960 I lived in Cliffwood Beach as a child....it was a great little town back then

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  4. In doing some research and personal memories I found the articles are wrong The Pool Cat n Fiddle and Bungalows were still up and running until 1969 they were just rebuilt a few times.

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    1. You're apparently commenting about an article I wrote about the Cat n Fiddle, a different piece in this blog. I think calling it wrong is a bit broad. But feel free to add this comment there. I can't move it.

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  5. What are the chances of the township rebuilding the pool?

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