Back in the Swim

The citizens of Roubaix, near lille in northwest France, were justly proud of their magnificent Art Deco public swimming pool and sports center. Built in 1932, the complex was a socialist monument to fitness, health and hygiene. But by 1985, with the roof threatening to fall in, it had to close. Roubaix's citizens, determined to hang onto their architectural masterpiece, have turned it into a Museum of Art and Industry that has drawn crowds since its opening in October.

According to its curator Bruno Gaudichon, in the early '30s people in the mill city were determined to...