Happening Now

Designers refined a concept for the Walton Street Park project after two rounds of review from the Historic Resources Commission (HRC). With this good news, the team will develop final construction documents and prepare the project for bid. Construction is expected to start in mid-2027 and last for approximately 12 months. 

This design reflects community feedback collected in 2024 and 2025 from the Walton Street Park Community Engagement Report, community meetings, and a survey. Additional review by the HRC may be required due to the historic designation of the Walton Street Park Pool House.

As with all current municipal projects, pricing and sourcing materials are highly unpredictable at the moment. The project team will have a much clearer idea of material costs and availability closer to the start of construction, but the City of Asheville's intention is deliver a finished product to the community as close to this plan as possible.

Exterior Improvements

By blending active recreation with shared gathering spaces, the design honors the park’s roots while creating new features to be enjoyed for generations to come. Exterior highlights include:

• Spaces to Connect: Whether hosting a small neighborhood get-together or a larger community event, you’ll find the perfect spot to gather
• Stage to Showcase Talent: A performance stage with flexible seating beautifully incorporates the original pool steps, keeping history front and center
• Outdoor Kitchen and Dining: An outdoor kitchen features grills, bar seating, and a large community dining table for shared meals and even better conversation
• Celebrating Stories: Dedicated space for public art that honors the history of the park and the neighborhood
• Active Fun for All: All-wheel area for skating and skateboarding, outdoor fitness equipment, and a community garden mean there’s something for every neighbor to enjoy
• Plazas for Makers: A new seating plaza with podiums provides space for rotating art displays and community exhibits, and a separate area features vendor space and food truck parking with picnic tables

Interior Improvements

The building is a vital piece of our community’s story. Exterior features of the building including window openings and doors will remain as it is a designated historical feature at the local and federal levels. While the outside honors the past, the inside will be reimagined as a versatile home for community activity:

• A Space for All: Flexible indoor areas perfect for celebrations, workshops, classes, and meetings
• Community Kitchen: Kitchen area with prep space, a refrigerator, and a double sink
• Comfort in Every Season: New heating, ventilation, and year-round accessible restrooms to serve the community regardless of weather
• Seamless Connections: New entry points include a door to the outdoor kitchen and a breezeway leading to exterior gathering spaces to make the park feel more connected than ever
• Modern Upgrades: Repairs to windows and doors, accessibility upgrades, and more modern touches ensure the building is welcoming and functional for everyone

Background

For a detailed look at the history of Walton Street Park, check out this article.

Walton Street Park was constructed in 1938-1939 with Works Progress Administration funds and opened to the public in June 1939. The pool opened in 1948 with the bathhouse opening the next year. From government-sponsored segregation policies to the rise of private members-only swim clubs, limiting access to swimming pools and other recreational spaces by people of color was prevalent in the twentieth century and the pool at Walton Street Park existed for many years as the only public pool for the city’s Black families and community members. 

Following consecutive years of significant repairs, a 2016 professional assessment of Walton Street Park's pool found its infrastructure failing with major leaks and deficient underground pipes. The investigation concluded repairs and renovations will no longer extend the useful life of the facility.

Directed by community input, Asheville City Council approved an expansion of Dr. Wesley Grant Sr. Southside Community Center to include a new outdoor pool. Located less than a quarter-mile away, careful consideration was given to ensure the pool remains a space for residents of all ages from the surrounding neighborhoods while increasing program offerings and providing greater safety features available at a staffed full-complex recreation center that acts as a neighborhood hub.

Throughout the spring and summer of 2022, APR and local nonprofit Southside Rising gathered input from neighborhood residents on their vision for Walton Street Park. Based on neighborhood prioritization, completed enhancements include resurfacing the basketball court, replacing and modernizing the playground, converting the ballfield to an open area that can be used for multiple sports and activities, and installing a lighted paved walk and roll loop. Additional lighting, benches, and safety features were added in 2022.

Historic Designation and Adaptive Reuse

Simultaneously, multiple City of Asheville departments and commissions worked closely with neighborhood elders and community organizations to discuss the area of historic consideration and the most appropriate way to honor its significance and personality. Since that time, Walton Street Park has been designated as a Local Historic Landmark and was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

These designations recognize and honor the cultural and historical significance of places that allow us to tangibly connect to our past, as well as to carry that legacy into the future. Local Landmark designation requires any changes to the pool and bathhouse to follow a formal design review process, but neither designation is intended to prevent reimagining how the pool and bathhouse can be used in the future. In fact, adaptive reuse is one of the most common ways historic buildings and places are preserved, honored, and celebrated.

A community-driven process to determine a vibrant reimagined use may activate the pool area year-round while respecting the pool and bathhouse's historic fabric to serve present and future generations.

For examples of adaptive resuse, please view these idea boards from a 2022 engagement session.

Useful Links

• ​Walton Street Park history

This photo from the 1950s shows Walton Street Park as the center of summer fun. Isaiah Rice, an Asheville native, worked for the WPA during the Great Depression, served in the U.S. Army, and supervised recreation programs at Burton Street School. His photographs of Black life in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s help preserve the history, art, community, vivid personalities, and resiliency of African Americans in Asheville. Courtesy of Isaiah Rice Photograph Collection, University of North Carolina Asheville Special Collections.