100+ Years of History Vintage cartoon used to promote Paddock Pool Equipment Vintage photograph of a woman in a swimsuit Vintage advertisement for Paddock Pool Equipment Swimming Pools...movie stars...that's how Paddock got started back in the early 1920's, building America's first backyard pools on the estates of wealthy Southern Californians. Back then, a private pool had to be built with formed concrete using heavy machinery—an exorbitantly priced luxury available only to the top echelons of society. But the idea caught on, and in a short time everybody wanted one. Paddock took the concept to the next level, and the modern pool industry was born. ​ In the 1930's, Paddock built the first 50-meter monolithic pool using pneumatically applied concrete (gunite) at the Biltmore in Santa Barbara. Soon, gunite was the method of choice for pool construction, enabling a new generation of specialized contractors to build affordable residential pools. By the 1940's, Paddock had established the first network of franchised dealers to build its standard designs around the country. ​ Paddock Pool Equipment Company was formed to manufacture high quality equipment for use in Paddock swimming pools. In the 1960's, Paddock was reorganized and shifted its focus to commercial equipment exclusively. The Equipment Company took center stage, introducing a number of key innovations over a number of years into swimming pool market that define commercial pools today—such as stainless steel perimeter gutter, movable bulkhead, vacuum sand filter, and most recently the Paddock Evacuator®, leading the way in improving air quality in indoor aquatic facilities.