The man who designed the original McAdams Pool in Wichita will have his name on the new pool that will replace it. The Wichita city council voted unanimously Tuesday to rename McAdams Pool as the Charles McAfee Pool.
Well-known black architect Charles McAfee founded his own firm in 1963 and then designed the McAdams Pool in 1969. City council member Brandon Johnson said McAfee has had a global impact with the work done by his firm. McAfee Architects has offices in Wichita, Dallas and Atlanta.
Friends and family members paid tribute to McAfee during the council meeting, and then McAfee paid tribute to the black athletes from Wichita who inspired him. He said young black children in Wichita were only able to practice sports in the poorest facilities. He said they didn’t know about Olympic swimming, so he designed lanes in the pool.
The pool is now undergoing reconstruction as part of the city’s aquatics plan, and it will be ready for use in the summer of 2021.
