Did you ever visit the historic Shamrock Hotel? This impressive 1,100 room hotel featured a gigantic pool that was big enough to waterski (!!) in and hosted celebrities and movie stars. The hotel became a favorite spot for Houstonians for decades until it was demolished in 1987.
A Historic St. Patrick’s Day Party
Glenn McCarthy, an oil tycoon, opened the Shamrock Hotel on the southwest corner of Main Street and Bellaire Boulevard in 1949. McCarthy became so famous after opening the hotel that he inspired the 1950s novel and film “Giant,” which starred James Dean. During the hotel’s opening, McCarthy hosted a St. Patrick’s Day party, one of the city’s largest social events ever, featuring dozens of celebrities and movie stars. About 50,000 Houstonians waited outside the hotel to see if they could spot one of the famous faces arriving at the event including Ginger Rogers, Dorothy Lamour, and Lana Turner.
The World’s Largest Outdoor Swimming Pool
Many Houstonians may remember taking a dip at The Shamrock Hotel pool. The outdoor pool, which was 165 feet long and 142 feet wide, was dubbed the largest outdoor swimming pool in the world. You could swim laps in one of the nine swimming lanes or jump off the three-story diving board. Some Houstonians cooled off with ice cream, which cost less than $1, or sipped from a cold beer at the pool’s Aquatic Terrace area. The pool also hosted exhibition waterskiing and had a synchronized swimming team, the Shamrock Corkettes, that gained international recognition.
The Demolition of the Shamrock
In the 1950s, Hilton Hotels Corporation acquired ownership of the hotel. Despite it remaining a popular spot for Houstonians, the hotel struggled to fill occupancy rates and more affordable hotels were also built in the area, increasing competition for the Shamrock. The Hilton corporation sold the hotel to the Texas Medical Center in 1985. On the hotel’s 40th anniversary in 1986, about 3,000 people, including former owner Glenn McCarthy, showed up to protest the hotel’s potential demolition. Despite protests from the community, the Texas Medical Center chose to demolish the hotel in 1987 and it became a parking lot.
Did you swim at the Shamrock pool or stay there during its heyday? I want to hear your Shamrock memories.
