Know Your City Parks: Thornden Park

In 1923, a swimming pool was constructed in Thornden Park which featured a concrete basin with natural sides and a springboard. Water for the pool was supplied by the old estate trout pond, which later became the site of the amphitheater. In 1927, following requests from neighborhood residents, this early pool was replaced by a new concrete pool and bathhouse. This gave Syracuse twelve municipal pools, a total exceeded at the time by only New York, Chicago, and Toledo among American cities.

Some repairs were made to the swimming pool in 1971, and in 1985 the city spent $250,000 to renovate the Thornden pool and bathhouse. In 1994, students from Levy Middle School painted the colorful mural that still marks the entrance to the bathhouse.