By Vanessa Overholser - Staff Writer
Some say it's a sad thing that the Senff pool building is being demolished. Some say it served its purpose. Like all good things, the life of the Senff Natatorium must come to an end.
Jack Ellis is a retiree of Morehead State University's (MSU) Camden-Carroll Library. Ellis is also a local historian in Morehead who has personal memories and ties to the Senff pool building. He is one who believes the building has served its time.
“I'm trying to be a practical historian. I don't see a use for an old swimming pool if there is a new one,” Ellis said “It has served its purpose. We do have a new pool. It's a state of the art pool . . . even though it leaks. So they tell me.”
Ellis said, “The old pool never leaked a drop.”
He said the pool has been closed for 30 years. He stated nobody seemed to miss it. He added he thought many probably never noticed the building or even entered it.
He said he would rather see them not use it and tear it down rather than using it as a museum. Ellis isn't sure how it could be used as a museum.
The building was located behind the university president's home across from Adron Doran University Center (ADUC).
“The Senff Natatorium was built by my wife's uncle Jess Boggess,” Ellis said.
The building was first envisioned in April 1932, according to Ellis. He said MSU President John Payne had full support of the board of regents on his idea for the building. Payne and his colleagues hired an architectural firm Joseph and Joseph to design the blue prints for the building. The board of regents put the idea to a vote in favor of constructing the facility.
Ellis added, “The Morehead Lumber Company had the contract to work on it. Hony Rice was the on-campus engineer who was in charge. He was the engineer for 50 years.”
Ellis said the project was a cooperative venture. He said Morehead Lumber Company wanted to get more people to work. He added that United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt had a charter to build things.
According to Ellis, structures the government sponsored had to be of historical, cultural, educational and long-lasting value. The project was under a federal program entitled Works Projects Administration or WPA.
“Labor was intensive. The powered equipment was crude then. The equipment that was used were rugged steam shovels,” Ellis said. “The Natatorium was built with mules and scoops. No power equipment to dig for the basement and the foundation.”
Construction for the building took about a year to complete. It was June 22,1933 when the Natatorium was completed.
Many have described the building as being “state of the art” and “most beautiful of the swimming pools in the South.” The architectural design was of the Norman period, chosen to match other buildings on campus.
“The Natatorium was dedicated to the ideal of a clean and vigorous youth,” Ellis said. It was this ideal that inspired the inscription on the cemented section above the entrance to the brick building.
Ellis shared some childhood memories of the building.
“When we were growing up, Breckenridge was a 12-grade elementary school to train teachers.” He said, “The school was established in 1931 to 1981. Back then, student teachers were called practice teachers. These practice teachers would come to our classes
to observe them.”
“As a requirement to go to the school you had to attend summer school,” he said.
Everyday when classes were over student s were allowed to buy a swimming ticket for $1 to go swimming in the Natatorium.
“It was a big deal back then. Everybody was so enthusiastic about it,” Ellis said. “Everybody in the community could come in and use it.”
Billy Withrow is a foreman of the Solid Rock Construction Company from West Portsmouth, Ohio. He said the building needed to be torn down.
“It cost more to refurbish it then to demolish it. It was a beautiful facility,” Withrow said.
Richard Patrick is an Information Technology Consultant at MSU. He had fond memories of being a kid and swimming in the pool, he said.
“I wish they could refurbish it. Especially with it being a historical landmark,” Patrick said.
“It's sad to see it go. We used to go swimming in it every summer. I graduated in 1972. Breck students were able to swim in it everyday. It was a great pool. I liked it better than the new one,” Patrick said.
“It was a treat to walk to the Breck after P.E. class. We would go swimming and when we would walk back to Breck our hair would freeze,” Patrick said.
The demolition process started last week. The process is to be complete within two weeks of the starting date.
