Temperatures are finally cooling and while swimming in the cold waters of Barton Springs might not be as enticing, the swimming pool's new bathrooms and showers are up and running for anyone who wants to take a dip.
The Joan Means Khabele Bathhouse at Barton Springs Pool partially reopened Tuesday. Swimmers can now enter the new bathhouse through the pool side of the building. The temporary showers and restroom trailers are now closed.
The bathhouse is named after Joan Means Khabele, a former Austin High student who helped desegregate Barton Springs in the 1960s.
The current building has been there since 1947. It was designed by Dan Driscoll, the same architect behind the entrance at Deep Eddy Pool. In 1990, it was designated a City of Austin Landmark.
City officials said the renovation complied with historic preservation guidelines.
"The most shocking thing people are going to see is that it looks almost exactly like it did before," said Alyssa Tharrett, a project manager for the architecture division of Austin's Parks and Recreation Department. "But everything was taken apart and put back together."
The project included rebuilding some walls and installing new plumbing and energy efficient light fixtures.
"We were able to modernize and preserve as part of this project," Tharret said.
Tharrett said the renovation also involved making the bathhouse more accessible with family and single-use restrooms.
Flooring artwork was also added to the central building as part of the city’s Art in Public Places program.
The renovation is part of a larger $21 million project for Barton Springs that was approved in 2009. The bathhouse project started in early 2024 and was supposed to be completed in the summer of 2025 but has faced delays.
The bathhouse will fully reopen once ticket sales are moved back to the central rotunda of the building, which will also house an interactive exhibit about Barton Springs and the Edwards Aquifer. City officials said they expect these changes to be complete by early 2026.
The front parking lot at the north entrance is also available to the public now, except for a small area that is still fenced off for remaining construction work.
The pool hours remain the same.
