Two of the biggest Compo Beach controversies in recent years involved the South Beach bathrooms and the playground. Opponents of both projects worried they’d block scenic views of the Sound.
That didn’t happen, of course. But for many years — through the 1960s, in fact — our vista was quite different.
Enormous wooden bathhouses stretched from what is now Joey’s to the pavilion near Soundview Drive. (The concession stand was located then at the current volleyball courts.)
I have very dim memories of the bathhouses. They were dark and musty. The floors were sandy and wet. My friends and I played inside, but it felt like danger lurked around every corner. There were many corners.
The bathhouses went through several incarnations, before they were finally torn down. Here are a few.
Note the familiar 2nd story roof atop the bathhouses at the right. When the structure underneath was damaged in a hurricane, the roof was lowered. Today it houses the pavilion near the volleyball courts.
Another view.
Wooden ramps served as an early Mobi-Mat. Beach attire was much different. Note the float off shore too.
The brick bathhouses (currently, Joey’s by the Shore) contained bathhouses too. Check out the rocky condition of the beach itself.
An earlier view, from 1906.