If Northland Swim Club closes due to mounting debt and declining membership, it would become the latest among the dozens of privately owned, members-only swimming pools in the Columbus area forced to close in recent years.
Pools like Hilltop Swim Club, Olympics Swim Club and Reynoldsburg Swim Club have closed after decades of operations. When the Sequoia Swim Club in the Forest Park West neighborhood permanently closed, former members hosted a reunion in 2017.
At least 162 private pools in one- two- and three-family residential units closed between 2019 and 2024, according to the City of Columbus Department of Building and Zoning Services. These pools were often in the backyards of private homes.
Between 2016 to 2024, almost 300 members-only pools were deactivated, including pools in apartment complexes and hotels, according to the city.
While there are still more than 700 privately owned pools operating in Columbus, many of which existed previously but changed ownership, many Columbus neighborhoods lack public pool access.