A staple fixture at Barton Springs Pool is about to partially reopen after a year and a half of construction. The Joan Means Khabele Bathhouse restroom and shower spaces will be accessible to swimmers on Tuesday, October 28, at 8 am.
That means temporary restroom and shower trailers will close, says the announcement by Austin Parks and Recreation.
Swimmers can enter the pool on the east side (shown below) and the bathhouse from the building’s pool side. The rest of the building remains under construction as shown. The reopening also includes most of the front parking lot, although a small portion on the west side is still under construction.
Here’s how people will enter the pool and the bathhouse now.Graphic courtesy of Austin Parks and Recreation
Work still remains on the building’s rotunda, which is the main entrance, plus more “site work” on the west side, the announcement says. According to earlier documents about the construction, the rotunda entrance will be important because it will funnel swimmers through the updated Sheffield Education Center and Splash! exhibit, imparting information about ecological conservation in the area.
“Visitors will be able to learn about the importance of protecting the watershed and aquifer, preserving the salamander habitat, and how they can play a role,” says the project website.
Construction on the bathhouse started in March of 2024. The structure has been standing since 1947. It was originally constructed to replace another that was destroyed by a flood; it underwent repairs to the original system after another flood about 20 years later, which is when the entrance moved from the rotunda. The educational components above were added in 1998. the Beverly Sheffield Educational Center and the SPLASH! aquifer exhibits were added within the original basket area.
In addition to the physical changes, the bathhouse has been given a new name. Joan Means Khabele was a Black teenager in 1960 when she jumped into the water to protest the pool’s segregation. A series of “swim-ins” ensued, and the pool was desegregated two years later. Her name replaces that of William Barton, who owned five enslaved people and fought indigenous people.
The website does not offer hours specific to the bathhouse, instead linking to hours for the pool. They are 5 am to 10 pm daily, but on Thursdays it closes from 9 am to 7 pm for cleaning. Adult residents enter for $5, and visitors enter for $9. The price goes down for children and seniors, and honorably discharged military enter for free.