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Anthony & Sylvan has a long and rich history in the swimming pool industry from coast to coast. Sylvan Pools, a family-owned swimming pool company operating on the East Coast, was founded over 78 years ago and expanded to become an industry leader across the U.S.
- Pakistan 2500 B.C.
- Greece 700 B.C.
- Rome 100 A.D.
- The Dark Ages 400 – 1800 A.D.
- England 1830
- Olympics 1896
- Texas 1915
- California 1920
- Hollywood 1940
- Hotels 1960
The Great Bath is credited as being the first man-made pool, built of stone and brick and coated with Bitumite tar. Discovered in 1926, it was thought to be used for spiritual bathing by the ancient Indus Valley people, who lived in the south of modern-day Pakistan. No lap swimming or water polo.
Ancient Greece is well known for the love of public baths, and as the Greek Philopsopher Plato stated, “A man is not learned until he can read, write and swim“. And Hippocrates recommended a daily scented bath and oil massage. Bathing is popular, but swimming, or playing pool games? Not so much, not even Marco Polo.
And public baths were also a way of life in the Roman empire, and they were built in typically grand Roman style. The Caracalla baths in Rome, were fed a constant supply of fresh water from hills over 50 miles away, via a system of aquaducts. And, the first heated pool was installed by Gaius Maecenas during the first century. However, still not too...
These were dark times for swimming pool builders, and I’m sure many were forced out of business after the fall of the Roman empire. Exercise eventually grew out of fashion, and bathing also unfortunately became a rare event.
The modern era for pools was ushered in by Great Britain, who made great strides in water treatment and management, and due to alarming drowning rates, had 6 public pools built in London by 1837. Popularity in swimming as a sport grew as a result, and in 1869, the Amateur Swimming Association was formed to promote the skill, the sport and the exerc...
The modern Olympic games began in 1896 with competitive swimming as an Olympic event, which has undoubtedly has had a lasting effect on the popularity of the sport. At the 1896 games in Athens, Greece, 20,000 spectators viewed 4 swimming events, held in the open water ocean, because funds could not be raised to build a suitable pool.
Deep Eddy pool is the oldest swimming pool in Texas which began as a popular swimming hole in the Colorado River, became a resort in the 1920s, and is today a popular swimming pool operated by the City of Austin. Deep Eddy is not the very first swimming pool in the US, that claim belongs to others, but I’m from Texas!
William Randolph Hearst built the spectacular Neptune pool, and filled it with 350,000 gallons of water from the Santa Lucia mountains. Built to grand proportions, it’s one of the first pools to use Gunite for construction. Surrounded by Greek and Roman statues, pavilions and collonades, it features the facade of an ancient Roman temple.
As Hearst castle became the playground to Hollywood elite, the pool was featured in many early Hollywood movies. Hollywood blockbusters soon would feature pools as the toys of the rich and famous, and later in the decade, movies by Esther Williams and Johnny Weissmuller glamorized the ‘cool’ pool lifestyle (and synchronized swimming).
Give some credit to the American hotels and motels that began installing swimming pools to lure guests during the 1950’s. By the time I was growing up in the 70’s, nearly all hotels had to have a pool, if they wanted to compete for family and business travelers. That hasn’t changed much, pools are still a popular resort option for hotel guests.
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Sep 29, 2021 · September 29, 2021 · 2 min read. DOYLESTOWN, Pa., Sept. 29, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Anthony & Sylvan Pools, the leading residential swimming pool and spa builder in the United States,...
About Anthony & Sylvan Pools. For over 75 years, Anthony & Sylvan has been designing and building quality inground swimming pools and spas for families across the U.S., including the Northeast, Washington D.C. area, Charlotte, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Las Vegas and others.
Jun 10, 2011 · The Southern California firms engaged in a friendly — and not-so-friendly — rivalry throughout the ’60s, with each vying for a bigger piece of American pie. Founded in 1946 in Los Angeles, Anthony Pools (later to become Anthony & Sylvan) was content to remain in the Golden State until 1965, when the firm began an aggressive expansion plan.
Over 65 years ago, Anthony Pools began offering swimming pools on the west coast and through inspiration and achievements spread eastward. Sylvan Pools, a family owned swimming pool company on the east coast, was also founded over 65 years ago and expanded to become an industry leader across the U.S.
Nov 3, 2022 · DOYLESTOWN, Pa., Nov. 03, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Anthony & Sylvan Pools, the premier residential swimming pool and spa builder, renovator and service provider in the United States, announced...
