Seaside Aquarium Building Turns 100 This Week - Century of Oregon Coast History, Whales, a Famous Lobster

Published 8/06/24 at 8:15 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection

(Seaside, Oregon) – A major Oregon coast attraction edges closer to being an entire century old, as its building turns 100 on August 9. The Seaside Aquarium didn't start or occupy that structure until the '30s, but it was on August 9, 1924 the second natatorium went up on the then-newly-created Promenade (which had just come into being a few years before).

Above: Seaside Baths Natatorium in 1924 (photos courtesy Seaside Aquarium)

It was the days of large one-piece bathing suits for men and even more fabric for women – no Speedos for dudes and certainly little to no leg showing for the ladies. The '20s were when you still dressed up in suits and fancy dresses to even hit the beach. For deeper history see Seaside Promenade History: Beginnings of an Oregon Coast Icon, Part I

Back then, warm salt water baths were all the rage. These were fed by the ocean itself, creating a giant swimming pool. The Seaside Baths Natatorium had a second floor rafters above it. There, people would either watch the goings on below or bands would sometimes play. In those days, other towns had these natatoriums as well, including Bayocean (now a village that's long gone), Rockaway Beach, Cannon Beach and Newport. See Oregon Natatoriums History

When this building got its start, it was called the Seaside Baths.

“The Seaside Baths Natatorium was the second natatorium built in Seaside,” said the aquarium's Tiffany Boothe. “The first natatorium in Seaside was owned by John Oates and was located on the south side of Broadway at the Turnaround. The Oates Natatorium existed until the 1960s and is the natatorium most people remember. For a short time, however, it was not the only natatorium in town.”

1937

That natatorium became rather famous and influential in the '60s when it turned into the Pypo Club, an all-ages rock venue that is famous for getting the song “Louie, Louie” its launch into music history.

“The second natatorium in Seaside was short-lived and eventually made a much better aquarium,” Boothe said. “In 1924, the number of visitors to Seaside was so high and the demand for natatoriums was so great, W. Arthur Viggers of Astoria decided to build the second natatorium just three blocks away from the Oates Natatorium.”

1945

From there until the early '30s, the Seaside Baths Natatorium did well, but when the the Depression hit, the salt water bath got into financial hot water, according to the few business records still available. It closed shortly after 1930. It became a few other things for awhile, including a brief stint as a wrestling venue.

1950

“Although its life as a natatorium was relatively short, the Viggers’ natatorium’s design is still the foundation of the building,” Boothe said. “It was the perfect opportunity - an empty building housing a large swimming pool, a children’s wading pool, and a system that could pull water from the ocean and filter it. The building was really meant to house an aquarium.”

Also somewhere in here, apartments were built up on the top floor and were around through the '70s. The average tourist can't see those, but Oregon Coast Beach Connection was granted access a couple of times – and it's a wildly engaging, even slightly spooky area. This N. Oregon Coast Hotspot Hides a Spooky, Historical Attraction Upstairs

1974

Manager Keith Chandler has been at the aquarium since 1979. Education and media specialist Boothe has been with them since 2001. Since then, the aquarium has seen a lot of action.

In the mid 2000s, Seaside Aquarium started getting in regional media quite often, part of which was the newborn seals that would happen on occasion. However, they – especially their media-savvy Tiffany Boothe – kept making and then documenting interesting finds along the coast. One that went international was a mola mola (or sunfish) found, which then caught some international attention with TV and print in Japan, where it was a big deal.

Current building: note the windows have returned after being gone for a few decades

The occasional baby seal or gigantic whale washing up can also make the news in large doses, as the aquarium deals with those on the north coast and south Washington coast, as part of their role with the Marine Mammal Stranding Network.

In 1986, the Seaside Aquarium made national news in a really striking way. They had a large marine life pool in the front area back then, and in it was a large lobster named Victor. One drunk dude decided to steal the lobster and run out with him.

His intent, said Chandler, was to eat the thing.

“The guy was by himself and he just took Victor and ran out,” Chandler said. “I went out the back door and chased with him a baseball bat, and he dropped the lobster. A family was there and saw the whole thing. He went into the dunes and just passed out. And that's when the police came and arrested him.”

The story made national headlines, including the fact poor Victor didn't survive the incident. When the drunky guy dropped the lobster its shell was cracked. Victor died five days later.

On the Prom, Seaside, Oregon. See Seaside Aquarium

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Andre' GW Hagestedt is editor, owner and primary photographer / videographer of Oregon Coast Beach Connection, an online publication that sees over 1 million pageviews per month. He is also author of several books about the coast.

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