Free swim among the events celebrating McAfee Pool being added to historic register

The Charles F. McAfee Pool is hosting a celebration featuring an education tour and free swim on Saturday at 11 a.m. for being added to the National Resister of Historic Places.

Charles McAfee, the famed architect who designed the pool 1240 E. 14th St., and others will speak of the pool’s significance and history at 12:45 p.m. Directly following there will be a free swim featuring food and music.

Designed in 1969, the pool was the “first facility in Kansas specifically designed for African American children to practice lap swimming,” according to a release from the city of Wichita. It wasn’t until 2021, however, that the pool was named after its designer.

The need for the pool followed the construction of I-135, which ran through the McAdams Park property, including the only outdoor pool Black Wichitans were allowed to use at the time. When the need arose for a new pool, McAfee was asked to design the facility.