Phillips Aquatics Center

Programming

Following MPRB’s mission and philosophy, all programs are based on the following objectives:

• Promote water safety and teach people of all ages and skill levels to swim
• Respond to community needs and desires, including women-only swim opportunities
• Offer citywide programs for recreational, fitness and competitive swimming, including opportunities for school athletics, lifeguard training and swim clubs

*Registration required

Pool Rules

• Swimmers must shower before entering the pool
• No food, beverages, tobacco, pets or glass allowed in pool facility; no street shoes in pool
• Toddlers and babies must wear swim diapers
• Youth ages 9-12 must be accompanied by an adult age 18 or older in the facility
• Children younger than 8 years old must be supervised by an adult age 18 or older in the water 
• We recommend a 1 adult to 4 children ratio for groups with children ages 12 and younger
• Only United States Coast Guard approved lifejackets may be worn
• Inflatable articles, balls, and water wings are not allowed
• Horeseplay, spitting, pushing, running, and any other unsafe behaviors are not allowed
• During designated water safety breaks, all guests are required to exit the water
• Staff has the right to remove any individuals in violation of Pool Rules or MPRB and City Ordinances
• Obey staff and lifeguards at all times
• Don’t swim if you have open sores or are sick
• Pool users are responsible for their personal items. The MPRB is not responsible for any lost or stolen items.

About the Aquatics Center

Phillips Aquatics Center serves as MPRB’s only indoor swimming facility: a “first” that follows the 2015 opening of the Webber Pool, the first natural-filtration pool in the U.S., located in North Minneapolis. The aquatics center offers swim lessons for people of all ages and abilities, along with other, year-round programs and opportunities for recreational, fitness and competitive swimming. It was constructed in 2017-2018 as an expansion and renovation of the Phillips Community Center.

Phillips Aquatics Center was originally known as Phillips Pool and Gym. When it opened in 1987, it included what was then the city’s only community-accessible indoor pool. The MPRB had acquired both the pool and gym facilities from the school board when the surrounding junior high school was demolished. The Boys and Girls Club leased and operated Phillips Pool and Gym for 20 years, but the pool was closed when the club returned the building to the MPRB in 2008.

After a $1.6 million renovation in 2009, the building reopened as the Phillips Community Center, with leasing opportunities for community organizations. Discussions about renovating the pool, which took place among officials from state, city and county governments, the school and park boards and neighborhood organizations, progressed to the planning phase in 2015. Funding to restore the existing pool and add a teaching pool came from numerous sources, including the MPRB, the State of Minnesota, Minneapolis Public Schools, and Hennepin County’s Youth Sports Grant program.