Post #418252 by aquarj on Mon, Nov 10, 2008 5:30 PM

On 2008-11-10 15:11, GatorRob wrote:

GatorRob and LOLTiki and TikiGardener are correct. That swimming pool, the "Plunge" was an older use for the space occupied by the Tonga Room now. In fact, GatorRob's photo is a picture of a photo hanging on the hallway wall outside the Tonga Room. It's not a coincidence that the Tonga Room has a rectangular pool in it, with the little music raft.

While the photo does resemble the Sutro Baths a little, I think those were much much larger. And I tend to trust the historical photos OF the Fairmont IN the Fairmont. But here's a question. Are those windows in the photo, and if so, what direction do they face? One side of that space is underground, so that picture would have to be taken from the back of the (now) Tonga Room looking toward the front. From that orientation, it's possible that there would be windows along the one wall, which would face the bay.

Here's some quoted text from the Fairmont history...

Not long after the Swig purchase, people going to take a dip in the 'Fairmont Plunge' were startled to find themselves aboard the 'S.S. Tonga,' which provided a 'ship-shape' atmosphere, along with exotic drinks accompanied by Chinese food. Not satisfied with that, the S.S. Tonga went into dry-dock, replaced by the Tonga Room, with its musical boat in the middle of the pool, tiki huts under which patrons can enjoy a refreshing Mai-Tai, and an exotic menu reflecting the South Sea & Asian ambiance. A gleaming dance floor provides space for guests to dance; little do they realize that it was originally the deck of the S.S. Forrester, one of the last of the tall ships that plied the route between San Francisco and the South Sea Islands.

-Randy