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.

Happening Now

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Southside United Neighborhood Association organized a steering committee in 2024 and formally partnered with the City of Asheville to collaborate on a community-driven engagement effort focused on revisioning the historical pool area within Walton Street Park. While the initial timeline was impacted by Tropical Storm Helene, the steering committee has restarted the engagement process.

Asheville voters overwhelmingly approved a general obligation (GO) bond referendum in November allocating up to $20 million for parks and recreation improvements throughout the city including architectural conservation and repurposing of the pool and bathhouse in Walton Street Park. Help determine how to best invest in the community.

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.

Opportunities for Input

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• March 31-May31: Online survey
• April 19: Meet the steering committee during Spring Eggstravanza at Grant Southside Center
• May 24: Meet the steering committee during Shiloh Fun Day at Crump Shiloh Center

Useful Links

• Southside Community Members Discuss Walton Street Park on WRES' What's Up AVL!
• ​Walton Street Park history
• Historic Resources Commission of Asheville & Buncombe County Landmark Designation Report: Walton Street Park and Pool
• Walton Street Park and Pool Local Historic Landmark Designation
• Asheville African American Heritage Resource Survey
• Providing Recreational Opportunities for the Southside Community
• Walton Street Park Pool Assessment
• Walton Street Park Community Survey Results (2022)
• Grant Southside Center and Walton Street Park Community Survey Results (2017)
• Grant Southside Center and Walton Street Park Community Survey Responses (2017)
• Grant Southside Center and Walton Street Park Community Engagement Meeting Results (2017)
• Southside Recreation Plan Community Design Workshop (2017)