The Waikïkï War Memorial Natatorium (as it is now known) had its origins in the Roaring Twenties. During this high-flying era after World War I, everyone wanted to forget all about combat and carnage. On the mainland, flappers (girls) and hep cats (boys) enjoyed jazz, the Charleston (a dance), and fashionable cigarette smoking. On the Islands, and indeed across America, a craze for natural-water swimming was taking hold.

Perhaps this confluence of events explains why a beautiful Natatorium was created and dedicated to the honor of the 102 residents of the Hawaiian Territory who gave their lives in the Great War. The Natatorium is a 100-meter by 40-meter ocean-fed saltwater pool, located on the Pacific Ocean, along Waikïkï beach. Shimmering in view of Diamond Head and across from Kapiolani Park, the pool can be seen from the air as travelers arrive at O'ahu, sitting alone at the far end of the Waikïkï strip. The surrounding stucco structure, a gate bearing the words "The War Memorial," makes the site seem like a place lost in time.

The Natatorium has seen better days. The pool opened just in time for the 1927 AAU National Men's Championship competition. It was the site of Army training during WWII, and was a popular recreational facility, hosting such notables as Buster Crabbe, Johnny Weismuller (who trained for the Olympics in this pool), and local hero Duke Kahanamoku. Today, it is embroiled in a bitter dispute between the city government and non-profit citizens groups who quarrel over this much-loved site's future.

The original design was supposed to take advantage of a natural Diamond Head flow of ocean water. Unfortunately, the inlets that were intended to allow the water to flow in from the right and out on the left were too small. As a result, the water was never aerated properly. After a few years of neglect, it turned into "pea soup.".The pool (which offered a diving platform and slopes from a depth of 10 to 23 feet) was finally closed to swimming in 1978. Soon the Natatorium -- which has bleacher seating for 2,500 -- fell into disrepair.

Since the 1980s, the Natatorium has continued its steady slide into deterioration, and has been forced to close due to safety concerns. Some critics would like to tear down most of the complex, leaving nothing but the Beaux Arts façade as a memorial to the WWI veterans. Defenders, including one past Honolulu mayor, wish to restore the entire facility, returning it to its once-glorious luster. To date only the façade, bleachers and locker rooms have been restored. The pool and deck continue to collapse (literally) in disrepair, as was the case with part of the deck in 2004.

In 2007 the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began assessing shoreline conditions around the War Memorial Natatorium. The results of these studies may determine the fate of the facility.

Meanwhile, strong arguments rage on both sides concerning the short-term and long-term cost of renovating and sustaining the location. After the Great War, poets asked: "What price glory?" Today, lovers of historic architecture can ask: "What price memory?"

Many a child in the '50s and '60s learned to swim in this Natatorium, and with extensive renovations taking place in Waikïkï, it would seem to be a shame to lose such a wonderful piece of the city's history.