LISTEN: The University of Georgia is considering the demolition of a historic swimming pool to create additional greenspace on campus, but some preservationists are pushing back on the plans. GPB's Chase McGee reports.
The University of Georgia is considering the demolition of a historic swimming pool to create additional greenspace on campus, but some preservationists are pushing back on the plans.
Legion Pool was built in 1936, a New Deal-era project funded in part by the Public Works Administration.
Naval cadets trained there during World War II, and it was integrated alongside the university in 1961.
Tommy Valentine is the director of Historic Athens, a nonprofit that works to preserve historic sites. He said it’s an invaluable place for both students and Athenians.
"We personally have experienced a surge in communication related to this, unlike almost any other project we’ve seen in a decade," he said. "This is a place that the community really cares about. This is a place where people learned to swim or taught their kids how to swim. This is a place where people volunteer, this is a place where community organizations go."
The university cites low attendance and its reliance on student activity fees as a reason why it should be removed.
But Valentine said the pool only operates during the summer, when on-campus students aren't likely to be in town, and closes days before they return for fall classes.
"And so, over time, the pool and the field has been drawn down to practically unusable," he said. "And what we're seeing here is the current administration claiming that because it has low attendance, it therefore is no longer worth the expense."
