Amarillo Natatorium ("The Nat")
Amarillo, Potter County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The Natatorium, an open air building surrounding a swimming pool that measured 36' by 101', opened in July 1922. "The Nat" was enclosed in 1923 for year-round use. In 1926 the building was converted into a dance hall with 10,000 square feet of maple flooring covering the pool area. "The Nat" also provided dining and at its peak employed 40 staff members. Well known bands traveling along Route 66 often stopped here to entertain. Though closed as a public dance hall in the 1960's, "The Nat" served the Amarillo area as a significant social center for decades. (1996)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Amarillo's Natatorium opened in July 1922 as an open-air pool on the High Plains, then was enclosed for year-round use the next year. By 1926 owners had floored over the pool with 10,000 square feet of maple and reinvented "The Nat" as a dance hall, where traveling bands rolling through on Route 66 stopped to play. Though it closed as a public dance hall in the 1960s, it remained one of Amarillo's great social gathering places for decades.
Why it matters
"The Nat" captures the golden age of the Route 66 roadhouse, when the Mother Road carried not just travelers but the touring musicians and nightlife that stitched small-city America into the national culture.
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Themes & tags
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