Tulsa Residents Fundraise To Preserve Historic Lortondale Neighborhood Pool

A historic pool in midtown Tulsa is in need of a lot of repairs. Neighbors are now worried they’ll have to close it forever if they can’t raise enough money to fix it.

Christy Thames loves her unique, mid-century modern neighborhood pool.

"It's like it stepped out of the Mad Men show," said Thames.

Like out of the show Mad Men, the Lortondale Pool near 26th and Yale still has a lot of the features it did when it was first built in 1956.

Because of that, Thames said they're now facing some big issues.

"The Tulsa Health Department actually gave us a three-year strategy that said, you have to have this pool resurfaced,” said Thames. “And if you look, a lot of the plaster is falling off of the deep end."

A massive leak in one of the pumps is also causing issues. So much so, that Thames said if they don't raise $20,000, they may not be able to open next summer.

It's something those who've lived in the neighborhood for decades don't want to happen.

"There's a lot of memories here," said Jackie Darrah.

Darrah's lived in the neighborhood for 30 years but said some of her girlfriends have been here since the beginning.

"She brought her 50 cents and swam with her iodine and baby oil," said Darrah.

Darrah said back when they first built the neighborhood, they didn't charge homeowner's association fees to fund the pool. They still don't, meaning they rely on donations and membership fees that anybody in Tulsa can pay.

Neighbors here hope that future generations can enjoy it like they did.

"It would be wonderful to get it back in shape," said Darrah.

A second neighborhood pool, the 5300 Club Pool, also needs repairs, but not as urgently as this one. They’re raising money for that, too.

Neighbors are hosting a fundraiser Sunday, August 22, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Lortondale Pool.

They’ve also set up a GoFundMe, click here for the link.