Tolleson Park's new community pool facility introduces a beautifully scaled recreation and competition hub to Smyrna, Georgia. Protected beneath a striking, broad overhanging roofline, the 7,087 GSF single-story building prioritizes spatial connection, housing a versatile community room that flows directly onto an outdoor patio, a recreation lounge, public concessions, and locker rooms. The aquatics programming features a heated competition pool with dedicated spectator seating, a vibrant recreational family pool, and a zero-entry splash zone crowned by a standalone waterslide. A separate, auxiliary structure accommodates restrooms and storage while seamlessly serving the adjacent tennis courts. Developed in close partnership with Croy Engineering, the project transforms an aging asset into a modern aquatics destination meticulously shaped by direct community input to expand the city's recreational capacity.
Initially slated for a phased modernization, the Tolleson Park aquatics facility required a rapid pivot in design strategy following a rigorous technical site inspection. The evaluation exposed severe systemic degradation, including compromised, crumbling pool walls and a failing water distribution system, indicating deep structural vulnerabilities that rendered a gradual renovation unfeasible. After more than 60 years of continuous municipal service, a comprehensive architectural rebuild emerged as the only viable path forward. The City of Smyrna subsequently fast-tracked the master plan to decisively address public safety concerns and pave the way for a brand-new civic destination.
Over 1,000 individual data points, synthesized across a series of public engagement sessions, directly established the architectural framework for the new facility. The design integrates an expanded, fully resurfaced parking grid to seamlessly handle the projected influx of visitors. To counteract a site topography that dips below street level, the primary structure ascends 20 feet beneath a dramatic, sloped roofline, projecting a distinct civic presence that announces itself boldly to the streetscape rather than receding into the topography.
The building program is organized into two highly distinct volumes divided by utility. Operational and back-of-house functions, such as staff zones, locker facilities, and restrooms, occupy the east wing, while public-facing program pieces, including admissions, concessions, and a new multipurpose pavilion, anchor the west wing closer to public view. This multipurpose room, a critical programmatic addition missing from the original asset, features floor-to-ceiling storefront glazing that dissolves the boundary between the interior and the outdoor aquatics landscape beyond. Simultaneously, continuous clerestory windows wrap the perimeter, washing every internal space in balanced, ambient daylight.
Outdoors, the aquatics landscape divides active training and leisure. A dedicated competition lap pool runs parallel to a recreational family pool built around a lazy river. An expanded splash pad and a standalone waterslide complete a diverse matrix of water recreation calibrated for an intergenerational user base. The result is a highly tailored civic facility, co-authored by the community, that balances athletic precision with vibrant public life.
With an anticipated completion in May 2027, construction is actively progressing on this new civic asset. Structural framing for the main pavilion is fully complete, with the installation of exterior stone masonry and roof soffits currently underway. Across the site, civil works are advancing on the competition lap and family leisure pools alongside grading and parking lot configurations. Simultaneously, the auxiliary restroom building and recreation lounge are moving at pace, with framing and roofing scopes nearing completion. This project page will be updated with final architectural photography upon delivery.
