The Works Progress Administration (WPA) was created in 1935 by the Roosevelt administration as a work program for direct relief assistance to employ millions of citizens following the Great Depression. Its purpose was to build infrastructure such as roads, bridges, and parks. The pool at Cuscaden Park was one of those projects. The 80-foot x 120-foot pool was constructed for $45,000, included a 2-story “entry house,” and could accommodate 2500 bathers daily. That money was part of the $95,000 total designated for park improvements. Work began in 1937, and the pool opened in May 1939. The city reported that 3,000 bathers and 10,000 spectators attended the grand opening. For decades, the facility hosted public swimming lessons and a competitive swim team, and it was home to swimming championships. The entire park served as a recreation center for thriving post-war Ybor City.

During the Federal Urban Renewal Program of the 1950s and 1960s, where the idea was to revitalize deteriorating areas, many original cigar workers' homes and factories were destroyed. During that same time, Interstate 4 was constructed through the heart of Ybor City, severing north-south routes and leaving Cuscaden Park in the outer limits. The area north of Interstate 4 was renamed V.M. Ybor. As the pool aged, it became a budgetary concern. In 1988, the city budget called for $85,000 in repairs; by 1997, it was $200,000. The pool was boarded up in 1999 with plans for a $2.5 million renovation. The pool reopened in 2005. The facility closed again in 2009 due to persistent leaks. It took 5 years of political wrangling and another $3.2 million for repairs, but the historic pool reopened in 2016.

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