In the late 1950’s, 1960’s and 70’s, ranch homes and housing tracts were the rage. And so were backyard swimming pools. Private pools were an impressive neighborhood novelty, coveted by those who could afford one and a true measure of middle-class ascendance. Above-ground swimming pools, called Doughboys, were one popular, but more pedestrian, option. However, many a mid-century birthday or summer swim party featured kids and adults splashing about in one of these huge blue plastic bowls. Clambering inside usually involved a slippery climb on a short ladder or set of wooden steps before dropping into the cool waters. Getting into the Doughboy was half the challenge! But Doughboys were a more temporary and somewhat fragile (materials-wise) fix to beating the epic So Cal heat.
Much more impressive displays of post-WWII wealth involved installing one’s own “built-in” backyard swimming pool. In the mid-20th century, Southern California’s love affair with pools was just taking off and pool companies scrambled to keep up with the increasing demand. The dog days of So Cal summers were usually hot and smoggy. Relief was needed, especially with kids home from school for three months of summer vacation. (Home air conditioning wasn’t yet much of a thing back in the 1960’s and 1970’s. Window units in a bedroom or family room were the typical AC investment for most families. Being outside in the shade or in a pool offered less restrictive respite.)
Locally, builders of most in-ground pools were companies like Sunset, California, Anthony, and Sylvan Pools (the latter two later merged.) The newly-employed technique of spraying gunnite over concrete to shape and strengthen pools walls saved on construction dollars, and the development of pool features such as underwater lighting, kidney or freeform designs, cool-to-the-feet decking (and later waterfalls and spas) increased the appeal of owning one’s own bit of backyard paradise. Importantly, the promotion of financing programs ($$$) by the various pool companies offered the means to the desired ends.
And so by the mid 1960’s, swimming pools in Southern California were on their way to becoming ubiquitous. In short order, hyper-social pool parties, backyard BBQ’s, and tiki or luau-themed soirees would rule the day. Tract-housing developments, seen from above, sparkled with dots of blue pools in their big-enough backyards.
“May 21, 1964: “There are more swimming pools in the San Fernando Valley than in all of Europe and Asia combined. With some 30,000 pools and the title of swimming pool capital of the world, one would think building a pool would be simple. Such is not the case. So says Mr. Robert F. Kaufmann, Vice President of Sunset Pools, Inc… When a family buys a swimming pool they must remember that it is one of the most important investments they will ever make and probably the largest investment in home improvement, he said.'”(Los Angeles Public Library/TESSA)
Feeling like a deeper dive into Southern California’s pool culture? Read this July 13, 2021, article by LA Times columnist and local historian, Patt Morrison. And here’s to the dog (or cat) days of summer.
