Georgia Regents vote to demolish Legion Pool at University of Georgia

ATHENS — The University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents voted Tuesday to demolish the historic Legion Pool on the University of Georgia campus.

The university last year announced plans to remove the outdoor pool to make way for green space, an outdoor amphitheater and additional parking. Officials cited lack of student use, mounting financial losses and an estimated more than 24,000 gallons of water lost per day because of leaks and evaporation.

Athens residents, who have enjoyed access to the large pool for decades, pushed back against the university’s conclusions.

ExploreFrom 2012: Future uncertain for UGA Legion Pool

“I’m disappointed, but not surprised,” Tony Eubanks said following Tuesday’s vote. “They manipulated the process to get the preconceived result they wanted.”

In recent years, Eubanks has had T-shirts made in support of Legion Pool. A local group called Friends of Legion Pool sent a letter to the Board of Regents in October arguing that the “lack of student use and resultant fiscal losses have happened by design.” The group noted that the pool is open from late May to early August, when most students are not in town.

Credit: Contributed

Credit: Contributed

At a December public hearing regarding the proposed demolition, more than 30 people spoke in opposition to removing the pool. Just one person, Stan Jackson of UGA’s Student Affairs office, spoke in favor.

ExploreAthens residents push back as UGA plans to demolish historic Legion Pool

Opened in 1936, Legion Pool was constructed through the Works Progress Administration in collaboration with the city of Athens. At 75 feet wide by 150 feet long and holding 475,000 gallons of water, it was once the largest pool between Richmond, Virginia, and Miami. The U.S. Navy used the facility for training during World War II.

In the 1950s, the property was deeded to the Board of Regents for $75,000, though the city continued to operate the pool into the 1970s through lease agreements. Questions of ownership resurfaced more than a decade ago when the university first explored demolition and again earlier this year.

Regents board member Mat Swift said Tuesday the committee aims to “give historic structures a lot of attention.”

“However, it just became eminently clear that there were a lot of different factors,” Swift said. “We really couldn’t recommend keeping this.”

Last week, UGA officials met with staff of the Athens-Clarke County Planning Department to review the demolition and construction plan. The meeting lasted about five minutes and focused on construction debris and potential traffic interruptions.

A UGA official said any lingering questions could be resolved ahead of another meeting with local authorities this month. A county planning department staffer said UGA can move forward with the project as long as it follows the standard plans review process.

Credit: Fletcher Page

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