After years of sitting dry and fenced off, the old Griffith Park Pool is finally on track for a full rebuild, with Los Angeles officials advancing a roughly three-year project pegged at about $40 million and targeting completion around mid-2029. The 1927 “Municipal Plunge,” at Riverside Drive and Los Feliz Boulevard, has been empty since early 2020, when city crews determined the basin could no longer reliably hold water. Instead of patching the battered structure, city staff say the existing tank will be removed and replaced with a new complex featuring a year-round competition pool, a neighboring training pool, and a rehabilitated pool house with modern, accessible changing facilities.
At a recent open house at the Griffith Park Visitor Center, city staff and designers shared a printed handout that breaks down the tentative schedule: six months for construction documents, five months for permits, five months to select a contractor, 18 months of construction, and six months of close-out, for a total of about 40 months, according to the Bureau of Engineering. Roughly 50 residents showed up and pressed city staff on haul routes, truck staging, and how all that heavy work might affect nearby schools.
Design and accessibility
Architecture firm Perkins Eastman is leading the site design and says schematic plans call for a 50-meter competition pool paired with a 25-yard training pool that features an ADA-compliant gentle slope. The layout also anticipates spectator bleachers and energy-efficiency upgrades. The firm and city officials told the Los Angeles Times that the pool house’s Spanish Colonial Revival exterior will be preserved, while interior spaces are slated for a full modernization, including a consolidated gender-neutral changing area with private stalls and new elevator access. Perkins Eastman is serving as the design lead and will coordinate with the Department of Recreation and Parks on programming and accessibility features.
Costs and timeline
Early figures from the Bureau of Engineering once estimated construction costs around $28 million, but officials at the meeting said those estimates have climbed. Ohaji Abdallah of the Bureau of Engineering told attendees, “I expect this to be about $40 million,” noting that soft costs and recent global events have driven prices higher, according to the Los Angeles Times. City staff also cautioned that the project will compete with other budget priorities and that the schedule hinges on permit approvals and contractor selection. If those pieces fall into place, officials say construction and close-out could wrap in mid-2029.
Neighborhood impacts and next steps
Officials warned that the work will be intensive, with demolition of the old tank and steady truck deliveries requiring a formal haul route that has yet to be finalized. Planners are also talking through ways to limit disruption to the nearby Los Feliz Nursery School. Local park advocates have continued to push for the pool to reopen for lessons and broader community use, and the site and its current status remain listed on the city’s Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks Griffith Park pages, while Friends of Griffith Park continues to monitor project updates. The city has asked residents to send questions to [email protected] as the design phase moves into construction documents, permitting, and contractor selection.
If officials can secure the needed funding and stick close to the schedule, the rebuilt complex would restore year-round swim space to the eastern edge of Griffith Park by mid-2029. City staff stressed, however, that the plan remains dependent on approvals and available dollars. Residents looking for more information are encouraged to contact the council office or the Department of Recreation and Parks for meeting materials and notices about future sessions.
