By Kali Morgan, Summer 2024

McVeigh Pool is at 400-64 E. Ontario St., 19134.
Phone: (215) 685-9896
McVeigh Rec Center Facebook

Rectangular pool
Ladders for pool entry/exit
Behind a large wall — very private

#MyPhillyPoolTour2024
JULY 19, 2024

This fortress-like park and rec center was locked up tight today, and the pool is closed as expected from the recreation website listing. This is my first pool I have visited from the PPR list of pools that I have been unable to photograph, because it’s behind a big wall.
I was told by someone on a Northeast Philly Facebook group that McVeigh Playground is the twin of Jardel, and that may be true of the architecture on the rec center building, but that’s where the similarity stops — in some ways this park has potential to be prettier than Jardel, but it’s not reaching that potential because it’s locked up tight. It’s a shame that access to the park is denied, as the surrounding neighborhood has very few trees.
The brick rec center building is painted with a really lovely dog-park-themed mural on the grassy side of the building. On the wall that I suspect is blocking the pool there’s graffiti-inspired lettering identifying the park as McVeigh.
The green field inside the fence was beautiful and had clearly been mowed. There was no sign of active construction on the park and facilities. There was also no actual sign, indicating the future of the park or plans to revitalize, but the Philadelphia Parks and Rec website indicates it is “closed for repairs.”

I tried calling the rec center and there was an outgoing message so I left a message… but never heard back.
Neighbors put out a trashcan by the rec center building entrance, and there were handmade signs at the opposite end of the block, pleading with the public, “do not dump trash.” I saw a syringe disposal bin on the sidewalk in back of the park as I was leaving to visit my next destination.
Sadly, I have no idea what McVeigh looks like behind that wall, but I’ll see what I can find out from Google Earth (see images above, behind map photo).