By Kali Morgan, Summer 2024
Cruz Pool is located at 1431 N 6th St, 19122.
Phone: (215) 685-2759
Anyone walking driving down 6th Street can’t miss this big T-shaped pool
No stairs to pool deck
Stairs into water (no handrails)
Lap lane lines, but no designated laps for swimming
Depth: 3 to 5 feet
Unisex toilet/changing area
Belongings allowed on large pool deck
Open sun, warm water during free swim
Map of neighborhood with marker indicating Cruz Playground
#MyPhillyPoolTour2024
JULY 21, 2024 UPDATE
Finally made it back to the pool to enjoy its open-to-the-public wet wonderfulness! Lanes down the center of the pool could easily separate the splashy sides that range in depth from 2.5 to 5 feet.
No stairs are needed to enter the pool deck, and there are stairs in the pool for folks with limited mobility. BUT: No wheelchair lift.
Warm water in full sun and I did not make it into the (very partially) shaded corner of the pool. Only half of the pool open due to staffing shortage.
Mostly teenagers and kids having a great time — probably about 35 people at 3pm on a Sunday, but the pool is so huge it feels empty. Friends had been asking about swimming laps, and there are very few pools I have encountered that really hold space for this (Kelly, Lee and O’Connor are the only places I have seen a designated lap lane during free swim) — if these lap lanes were open I imagine that could attract crowds specifically for that purpose.
Staff were super friendly when I inquired about the restroom, and directed me to the strangest public restroom in the poolhouse, which seems to double as a storage closet, but it’s clean and unisex and seems to be shared by staff and guests. First, you open a door into a sink and closet and then open another door into a toilet behind a wall, all of which is quite narrow, but there’s a little extra room in the toilet to change, which is nice.
Cruz Pool is full but unexpectedly closed on July 14, 2024
JULY 14, 2024
Stopped back at the Cruz Pool with my partner today, and it is filled with water!
BUT it is closed for some reason not disclosed on the handwritten sign announcing the closure. I suspect it is a lifeguard shortage since that seems to be endemic this season.
Better luck next time!
JULY 3, 2024
It has literally been decades since I’ve been in this big beautiful pool, so I am excited to return. Except that it is empty!
Completely empty, it looks bigger and more beautiful than I ever remember it from back in about 1988 or 89. Workers on site said they are trying to get it open by Sunday, but they are still actively repairing things along the walls.
Swimming Philadelphia 