Swimming Pool
The Woolworth Building included a variety of amenities for its tenants to enjoy, among them a complete health club. This space, located in the sub-basement, included a large bathing establishment with changing rooms. The initial design of this space was sumptuous; the room housing the pool would have been lined with marble and inspired by the ancient Roman city of Pompeii. Gilbert hired the decorating firm of Mack, Jenney and Tyler to design the ornate wall and ceiling panels. However, the space was executed in a more austere style.
This superseded drawing from early 1913 (CAN'T READ DATE ON COMPUTER) shows the plan of the bathing establishment at an early stage in the design process. It was revised on May 12, 1913 with changes shown in pencil. It features a plaster ceiling with organic motifs, walls lined with marble columns, and an intricate apse. This drawing from June 7, 1913 is notably different. The ceiling designs are removed, as are almost all of the columns, and the apse is simplified into a shallower semi-circle.
