Miami has its fair share of beaches and coastlines, but tucked beneath a canopy of banyan trees in Coral Gables lies a swimming pool unlike anything else in the country. Sitting in a four-acre quarry that stopped producing stone in 1921, Venetian Pool is a Mediterranean oasis holding 820,000 gallons of fresh spring water, all of which is drained every night and refilled the next morning.
It’s also the only public pool on the National Register of Historic Places for its architectural and historical significance. Its unique Mediterranean Revival look remains today as it did then, especially after completing a major renovation and restoration project for its centennial.
A 100-year-old natural wonder
In the 1920s, the quarry was a gap in the plan for Coral Gables. Its oolitic limestone had built many of the city’s first buildings, including the Merrick family home that gave the city its name. Founder George Merrick, alongside artist Denman Fink and architect Phineas Paist, turned it into a pool by lining the quarry with concrete and filling it with fresh water from artesian wells.
The result was the Venetian Casino, opening in 1924 with two waterfalls, a grotto, high diving platforms and a stone bridge to a small island. In its earliest days, swimming and film stars Johnny Weissmuller and Esther Williams appeared to large crowds there, and Paul Whiteman’s famous orchestra played. For concerts, staff drained the pool and seated the audience on the floor.
Visiting Venetial Pool
Today, the high dives are gone, and so are the gondolas. The waterfall, grotto, coral rock caves and island remain, with palms, royal poinciana and bougainvillea around them. The coral rock buildings and barrel tile roofs look much as they did in the past, and any repair needs approval from historic reviewers.
The water still comes from underground wells. Since a 1989 renovation, the drained water goes back down through injection wells into the aquifer, filtered by the limestone. The pool uses the minimum chlorine the rules allow, which is why children must be at least 3 years old and 38 inches tall to enter the facility, with proof of age.
The pool is expected to close in December and January, so check before you plan a visit in the coming weeks. For more information and tickets (Coral Gables residents pay less to enter), visit their website.
📍 2701 De Soto Boulevard, Coral Gables, FL 33134
