Since 1948: How Alamo Heights' Neighborhood Pool Was Saved From Being Filled In

On July 15, 1948, Alamo Heights held what it called Opening Splash Day. According to a San Antonio Report story about the pool, the day had diving competitions, swimming races, clowns and water pageantry. That was the start of Heights Pool, the pool at 250 Viesca St that generations of neighborhood kids have since learned to swim in.

It's now in its 79th season. It almost didn't get there.

The year the pool was closed

For a long time the pool was run by the city. By 1989, the San Antonio Report reported, the City of Alamo Heights could not afford the upkeep, and the pool was closed and in need of repair. The plan was to fill it in. The club's own history page says the same thing in plain words: the city-run pool was set to be filled in.

A neighbor stepped in. Rick Shaw, known to everyone as "The Pool Guy," had lived in the area his whole life and had swum at the pool as a boy in the late 1950s. He saved it. After a yearlong closure, the pool reopened in the summer of 1990, repainted and with upgraded infrastructure.

In that same 2019 story, member Trey Guinn, a UIW professor, said of Rick: "Rick has preserved what it means to be neighborly." That line says it better than a summary could. A pool is a piece of infrastructure, and it only stays open when somebody decides it's worth the work.

Family-run today

Today Rick's daughter and son-in-law, Stacy and Clayton Smaistrla, carry on his legacy. The pool describes itself as an outdoor family swim club, and the family running it is part of why. Clayton and Stacy sign the notes to members, and they're the ones who decided to try something new this year: the first Off Season.

The place has grown since 1990 without changing its character. The Olympic-size pool still has lap lanes. There's a diving well with a diving board and a tall water slide, a kiddie pool beside a shaded playscape, a basketball court and lighted pickleball courts with no court fees. POOLSIDE, the renovated grill and bar, serves kid-friendly favorites alongside a full bar for the grown-ups.

The traditions that stuck

Ask a longtime member what makes Heights Pool different and the answer is often a ritual, not a feature. The pool's own history page names a few that generations have grown up with:

• Pool Shark ribbons.
• Fourth of July coin dives.
• Cannonball contests.
• Ice cream under the Texas sun.

The amenities page adds more: the Coin Toss, Race a Lifeguard, holiday games and adult-only swim times for a quieter dip. None of these cost anything extra. They're just what happens when a place keeps showing up for the same families for decades.

Why the story matters to a new member

If you're considering a pass, the history isn't trivia. It tells you what kind of place you're joining. Heights Pool is a membership club, not a city pool, but membership is open to everyone: no waitlist, no initiation fees. It's run by a family who inherited a rescued pool and kept it running, not by a chain looking at a spreadsheet.

That shows up in small ways. The owners write personal notes on the passes page. They signed one "Clayton & Stacy" and invited members to help decide what comes next. They stayed open past Labor Day for the first time this year, and they say they'd like to get as close to year-round as they can. A place with 79 seasons behind it has earned a long view.

Seeing it for yourself

The black-and-white photo from opening day is on the club's site, and it's worth a look next to a current picture of the same pool. The lanes are still lanes. The water is still the draw. What changed is how many families have a summer memory attached to it.

If you're new to the neighborhood, or you've driven past 250 Viesca St for years without going in, the pool is open through December 13 this season, with Friday through Sunday hours of noon to 9 PM. Members are welcome to bring guests. Anyone can join. The About Us page tells the story in the club's own words, and you can reach the pool at (210) 824-2595.