The Deep Eddy Bathhouse will be celebrating its re-opening this Saturday from 10am to 7pm. There will be a ribbon cutting, tours, free admission, refreshments, live music and performances by the Austin Angelfish synchronized swim team.

The renovations to the bath house include restoration of the men's dressing area, women's facilities, handicapped accessible rest rooms, unisex bathrooms, a handicapped accessible path and ramps, a ticket desk and a concession stand. Limbacher & Godfrey Architects were responsible for the preservation plan. From what we have been able to tell by looking through the fences, peering over the walls and scouring the internets, this looks like an excellent renovation. We hope that the city will keep the same goals in mind during any Barton Springs Pool renovation. Keep history in mind. Don't screw up something that is already awesome. The fact that Limbacher & Godfrey is also involved in that project is a good sign.

The renovation was funded in part by the non-profit group "Friends of Deep Eddy," which raised about $1 million, and in part by the city, which contributed $500,000. In a recent column, Katherine Gregor suggested that Austin should enable neighborhood-initiated improvement projects like this and make them a regular part of city planning, based on a model that has worked well in Seattle for smaller scale projects.

Deep Eddy Bathhouse Grand Re-Opening
Saturday, June 2nd
Eilers (Deep Eddy) Park
401 Deep Eddy Ave. 78703
10am-7pm
Free

Image from Steve Hopson on flickr.