If you’ve ever stepped inside Alumni Pool, you’re not just walking into a swimming facility—you’re stepping into a piece of history. Built in 1939, it was one of the very first Modernist buildings on a U.S. college campus and quickly became a hub for swimming, diving, and recreation at MIT.

Throughout its history, Alumni has been the setting for all kinds of incredible moments. Starting in the 1940s, MIT hired its first full-time swim coach, made swimming a graduation requirement, and even opened the pool to women for the first time. The 1960s and 1970s brought the launch of water polo, women’s varsity swimming, and standout All-American athletes. By the 1980s and 1990s, Alumni was home to MIT pranks, known on campus as “hacks,” art installations, and even student-led efforts to preserve its historic character.

The early 2000s marked a big turning point: the Zesiger Center opened across campus in 2002. Varsity teams moved meets and practices there, and Alumni got a makeover with the addition of the Wang Fitness Center. In the 2010s, the pool kept adapting—hosting indoor triathlons, wellness classes, and more recreation programs than ever before. Then, in 2023, Alumni closed for a long-awaited renewal project. , it reopened refreshed and ready for the next generation—weeks after MIT also brought recreation management  in-house.

And the impact? Huge! Since reopening, we’ve welcomed over 7,500 recreational swimmers, expanded youth programs, added gender-specific swim times and Physical Education classes, and even creating more space for research groups. It’s safe to say Alumni is busier than ever before.

What makes all this even more special is that Alumni is now more than 85 years old. For a pool, that’s a remarkable lifespan. As you walk in, you can feel the history—whether it’s imagining the springboards that once stood there before diving moved to the Z Center, or noticing the smaller scale compared to today’s massive aquatic facilities. Alumni may look different than it did in 1939, but its spirit as a cornerstone of campus life hasn’t changed.

Here’s to the next chapter in Alumni Pool’s story—and to many more laps, lessons, and memories to come.