AMARILLO, Texas (KAMR/KCIT) – Now, as Route 66 is celebrating its centennial, one of its landmarks is actually a few years older than the Mother Road itself. The Amarillo Natatorium, nicknamed The Nat, was opened in 1922 and, as the name implies, as an open-air community swimming pool. But The Nat has become much more than that over the years.
The Natatorium was designed by renowned local architect Guy Carlander and according to the Texas State Historical Association, due to the popularity of the pool, the facility was enclosed the following year after opening to provide year-round use.
But the pool wasn’t open as long as some people think…