Swimming Social returns! To Austin Town Hall Park, we go

After the long Covid-hiatus, the “swim sisters” return to Chicago Park pools

Austin Town Hall Park Pool, May 5, 2021.

Fish weather vane on top of Austin Town Hall Fieldhouse and Cultural Center

I live near Central Avenue. It’s easy for me to get to the Green Line. Just take the #85 South and the stop is right there at Lake and Central. More than once I have stood on the platform and looked north to see an interesting tower with a weather vane on top. Instead of a rooster, a fish has the pride of place on the vane. I often wondered what that building was.

From the platform, it looked like a museum or town hall. I was excited to find that this striking Georgian-revival style building belonged to the Chicago Park District and houses the Austin Town Hall Park and Cultural Center, which includes its 25-yard, four lane swimming pool.

With the limited reopening of Chicago Park pools in late February 2021, Ronna Feldman and I made our first Chicago lap swim reservations at Austin Town Hall. (Ronna Feldman is a Chicago Swedish Fish team original, my swim sister and partner on this…