Friends of Legion Pool want historic Legion Pool repaired and maintained to the level such an historical, beloved place deserves. We have been lobbying for years to expand the pool's season so that students unique because of its history. We have also been lobbying to extend the season so that today's students can enjoy the same experience that generations of Bulldogs have enjoyed.

It was built in or around 1935 by Allen R. Fleming Post #20 of the American Legion using federal grant funding from the Works Progress Administration, a New Deal agency that employed millions of workers to carry out public works projects across the country during the Depression.Touted as the largest and most beautiful swimming pool south of Richmond, Va., the Legion Pool and associated facilities were designed by architect C. Wilmer Heery of Atlanta and erected at an approximate cost of $75,000. When the University of Georgia offered to purchase the pool and the surrounding acreage from the American Legion in 1952, Judge Henry West of the Clarke County Superior Court reviewed the offer and noted that Legion was “one of the largest outdoor pools in the South,” and that it was in “more or less the nature of a trust,” built to serve the citizens of Athens. The sale was finalized two years later. As one of the few remaining WPA pools, Legion Pool and its attendent buildings are unique. We need to preserve them for future generations to use and study.

Legion Pool has continued to be a beloved community gathering place for students, faculty and staff as well as community members for close to ninety years. As the testimonials here prove, Legion Pool offers true community and wellness. There is no better place for students to increase their well-being---they just need it to be open for them. There is no reason to destroy an historic, beloved, community gathering place to serve students. They would be well served if the pool was open when they were on campus.