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Since You Asked: The Natatorium was a swinging spot Dec 18, 2022 12:30 AM A A The MT 100 years ago column has mentioned the Natatorium several times recently as a gathering place a century ago. What was the Nat and where was it? — Roger, via email The Natatorium was perhaps the most exciting thing around in Medford’s infancy. Natatorium means building holding one or more swimming pools, from the Latin natātōrius — swimming. The main floor of the Nat held a swimming pool or a “plunge” as it would have been called in the bees knees slang of its time. But the circa-1910 building was much grander than its plunge. Five local businessmen went in together to build it, each contributing $10,000 — over $100,000 adjusted for inflation — and the money was put to work. The Nat had a bowling alley in the basement, an indoor shooting gallery, dance hall, music conservatory, billiard hall, motion picture theater, gymnasium, barbershop and candy store. In the winter, sliding wood floors covered the swimming pool and converted the space into a basketball court and a roller skating rink. The entertainment monolith held concerts and prize fights, too. Just as thrilling, it was decked out with electric lights. In 1910, electric lights and motion pictures were mostly a luxury of big cities, and Medford’s population had recently tipped 8,000. At one point the Nat even had an “auto camp” for the relatively new phenomenon of automobiles. A series of cabins along the banks of Bear Creek accommodated visiting tourists until a flood in 1927 destroyed them. But the Nat carried on. Where there once was a Red Lion Hotel, then Inn at the Commons and now apartment buildings at the intersection of Riverside and Sixth street was the Nat from 1910 to 1955. The Nat was vibrant until the end of World War II, when the pool at its heart closed. In 1953, the family owners of the property sold it. In ’55 it was demolished to make way for new development. Send questions to “Since You Asked,” Mail Tribune Newsroom, P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501; or by email to [email protected].