Perkins Woods Pool Party
Akron’s Perkins Woods Pool is on the border of the city’s West Akron and Sherbondy Hill neighborhoods. In 2016-2017, the pool averaged 15 visitors on peak summer days and was facing a potential closure after serving the community for more than 50 years.
As part of Art x Love’s 2017-2018 @PLAY Akron Knight Cities grant project, we identified the Perkins Woods Pool as a key opportunity for improving resident’s quality of life. Our team power-washed the facility, added asphalt art and modular murals created by community members, and worked with volunteers to restore and reinvigorate the space.
In the summer of 2018, we organized and produced the Perkins Woods Pool Party to celebrate this creative placemaking transformation and reinvigorate interest in the pool. More than 500 residents showed up to dance, eat, swim, and play. Umoja Nation performed live music, Popsmith handed out frozen treats, Dierre “Duece Dime” Fleetwood signed limited edition prints of his Heart of A.KING mural, and visitors left their mark on the Reclaiming Akron collaborative mural.
The City of Akron’s leaders were impressed by the turnout and energy, and made a commitment to preserve the city’s pools and to invest in West Akron. Following the party, pool attendance jumped to more than 100 visitors a day over each of the subsequent years, causing the pool to be closed because of staffing shortages. In 2021, Perkins Woods Pool was closed for a $5.5MM renovation and reopened to the public in 2023.
