LA84 Foundation/John C. Argue Swim Stadium
![]() The front of the LA84 Foundation/John C. Argue Swim Stadium in 2014 | |
Building information | |
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Opened | 1932 |
Owner | Los Angeles Coliseum Commission |
The LA84 Foundation/John C. Argue Swim Stadium, called originally the Los Angeles Swimming Stadium is an aquatics center that was originally constructed for the 1932 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California. Located near the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, the venue hosted the diving, swimming, water polo, and the swimming part of the modern pentathlon events.
The park seated 10,000 that included 5,000 wooden bleacher seats for the 1932 Games that were removed afterwards. The swimming pool itself measured 165 ft (50 m) long by 64 ft (20 m) wide. A children's pool is adjacent to the main pool that is still in use. Main grandstands at their top point was 15 ft (4.6 m) high spread over a length of 256 ft (78 m) and a width of 98 ft (30 m).
The venue was renovated in 2002-03. Bentley Management Group was hired in 2006 to refurbish and install the Olympic Rings on the south side of the Swim Stadium. The Rings were used in the 1984 Olympic Games and were lit by Rafer Johnson during the Opening Ceremony at the LA Coliseum. The Swim Stadium was later renamed in honor of the LA84 Foundation and for John C. Argue (1931 or 1932 - 2002), a Los Angeles-based lawyer who served as a key board member player for bringing the Summer Olympics back to LA 52 years later. Argue also served as chair of the board of trustees for the University of Southern California from 2000 until his death in 2002, and was part of the unsuccessful effort to bring the 2016 Summer Olympics to LA.