The Nye Beach Natatorium in Newport opened in 1912 and featured electric sweat baths, hot salt and steam baths and a 40- by 75-foot pool.
Through the years it featured a theater, dance hall, mini golf course, bowling alley and more. The building also housed different shops and game rooms.
Although it was damaged by fires in 1922 and 1938, it continued to be rebuilt and reused. The building was used as a skating rink in the 1950s but eventually became dilapidated.
In the 1960s it was leveled, burned and would eventually be made into the turn-around parking lot adjacent to where the Newport Visual Arts Center is today.
- Historical photos and text provided by the Lincoln County Historical Society in a partnership with YachatsNews. To learn more about the society and local history, visit its website here. A sampling of historic images from the LCHS collection can be seen at OregonDigital.org
We use to swim at the Nat when we were 5 through 9 years old living at Nye Beach. They also had a skate rink on the top. It was good times.
The nat was the place I dove off a very high diving board, what a thrill.